Pokemon Y: Beyond
by Crazybird101
Summary: 16 year-old Natalie Dane has started her pokemon journey through Kalos with her trusty side-kick Fire Mage. Together they will have to face challenges and a threat far greater then anyone could ever imagine! AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Just defeated Y. Awesome. Loved it. But I was sad when it ended. :'(**

**I have to admit. Pokemon Y has a nice story to it :D But I just came up an idea for this fic. This is MY story of Pokemon Y. With the same description and pokemon as my character. But I'm going to have to change the name. Since the name I used is my real name. Aaaaaaand I don't wanna reveal my real name. Paranoia issues :/ **

**Warning; this fic will contain: OOCness, AU, mild language, hinted pokemon death, possible spoilers, future Sycamore/character? (C'mon. You have to admit the guy is attractive.) **

**I do NOT own Pokemon. **

**Flames will be used to roast sausages**

**X.X**

_Once upon a time..._

_There lived a man, and a woman._

_Both of them lived in a small house deep within one of the many vast forests of Kalos. The couple had no pokemon, and only one child. A nine month old baby. They all lived happily together in the small house. _

_One day, the man had to leave his wife and child for the city. _

_That night, however, the home suddenly caught fire. The smoke was seen for miles, and eventually a group of people came with their water pokemon and attempted to put out the fire, but the flames were too strong. One of them heard crying coming from inside the home, and ran in. They found the woman dead on the floor. But the baby was clutched in her arms. They managed to rescue the infant just as the house was fully engulfed in flames._

_None of them knew the people who had lived in the home. So they turned the infant over to the authorities. The baby was soon placed up for adoption and it wasn't long until they were adopted by a young couple from Kanto..._

_16 years later..._

"Hey N-kins!"

Natalie looked up and smiled when she saw her new friends over at one of the tables waving at her. Shauna, was it? Adjusting her navy blue felt hat and aqua ruffled camisole, Natalie took a short breathe before walking over and taking a seat beside her neighbor, a boy about her age named Calem. The two quickly exchanged smiles before looking over to a rather large looking boy named Tierno.

"Looks like everyone's here" Tierno said after doing a quick head count.

"C'mon!" a younger girl named Shauna said giddly, "I wanna meet my partner already!"

"Wait!" Calem said, "Shouldn't we allow my new neighbor to choose first?"

"Oh, right." a much younger boy named Trevor said.

Natalie giggled.

Tierno brought out a large bag and placed it on the table. There he unzipped it, revealing three separate pokeballs. Natalie leaned forward slightly to get a better look. "The one on the right is Chespin, the one in the middle is Fennekin, and the one in the left is Froakie." Tierno said.

"Hmmm." Natalie rubbed her chin slightly. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Finally, she reached out and choose the one in the middle. "I choose Fennekin." she said, looking at the pokeball with glittering brown eyes, "But I'm going to call him Fire Mage."

**X.X**

**That's right! I named my Fennekin Fire Mage XD**

**Please R&R and have a nice day/night ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such ;)**

**All warnings and disclaimers are on the first chapter.**

**X.X**

I choose Chespin, then!" Shauna said before she reached out and grabbed the pokeball that contained Chespin. "I can tell that lil' Chespin and I will make a great team!" she giggled.

Calem reached out and took the pokeball that contained Froakie and nodded. "I have a really good feeling that Froakie and I will accomplish great things." he then turned to the others, "I'm going to go on ahead. See you guys later."

While Natalie watched the other teen walk off, Shauna suddenly jumped in front of her with an enthusiastic grin on her face. Almost enough to cause her to feel a bit freaked out. "Hey, N-kins! Wanna have a quick battle?" she asked.

Natalie blinked. "Why not?" she replied.

Shauna let out a whoop of excitement before she brought out her pokeball. "Then let's get this party started!" she said before throwing the ball in the air. The round capsule opened and a white streak of light shot out before taking the form of a small, bipedal pokemon. Chespin let out a cute little cry once it got out.

Natalie smiled before she threw her ball in the air as well. A four-legged pokemon came out of the capsule and stood boldy. Letting out a quick yip. "Fire Mage, use ember!" Natalie yelled. The fennekin nodded and shot out small shots of fire from its mouth. Chespin let out a terrified yelp and immediately did its best to try and avoid the flames.

"Ah!" Shauna jumped back slightly in horror. "Chespin, use tackle!" she cried. Chespin lunged itself at Fire Mage and managed to hit him hard.

Fire Mage skidded back slightly but managed to stop. "Fire Mage! Use ember again!" Natalie yelled.

"Aw, crap!" Shauna cried when she saw her Chespin suddenly fall to the ground. Knocked out.

"Chespin is unable to battle!" Tierno announced, "Fire Mage wins!"

"Darn it!" Shauna yelled before stomping her foot on the ground before taking out her pokeball and returning Chespin to it. "You did your best, though." she added with a smile.

"Alright!" Natalie yelled happily, jumping in the air, "Nice job, Fire Mage!"

"Rrrroff!" Fire Mage yipped happily while doing a quick backflip.

"That was such a great battle." Trevor said as Natalie returned Fire Mage to his pokeball.

"Yeah! You're really good for a beginner. How did you learn how to fight so well?" Shauna asked.

Natalie shrugged. "Luck, I guess." she replied.

"Isn't your mom a pokemon trainer?" Tierno asked.

"Ryhorn racer." Natalie corrected, "It's not exactly begin a pokemon trainer."

"Oh. By the way!" Tierno added, "Professor Sycamore wanted me to give you two this! Calem, Trevor, and I already got ours this morning." Tierno reached into his bag and brought two separate devices. One aqua blue and the other pink. He then handed the blue one to Natalie and the pink one to Shauna.

"Cool!" Shauna said when she activated the device, "What is this?"

"Pokedexs." Trevor answered, "These devices help us record pokemon we might see on our journey."

"Neat." Natalie said before she put her pokedex in her blue enamel-stripped purse.

"Well, I'm gonna go and try to fill up my pokedex." Trevor said, "See ya later!"

"Hey! Wait up!" Tierno said before running after the younger boy.

Shauna then turned to Natalie. "I'm gonna go too. See ya around, N-kins!"

Natalie blinked as she watched the young girl speed away down the stairs and across the bridge. She can't help but wonder how she's able to have so much energy in her. Shaking her head with a fond smile, walked down the steps as well before making her way across the bridge.

_That night..._

Natalie held her hand out to her fennekin. In it was a strawberry flavored poffin. Fire Mage sniffed it before taking in the entire thing whole.

"Hungery, aren't you?" Natalie giggled as she stroked the young pokemon's head. Fennekin purred at the gentle touch and nuzzled her hand for more attention. The two sat close to the smile fire they made for the night. After putting the fire out, Natalie removed her hat and white riding boots before slipping into her sleeping bag. Fennekin was curled up beside her fast asleep. Natalie, however, couldn't.

"Hey, Fire Mage? Are you awake?" Natalie whispered.

"Frrrr?" Fire Mage opened his eyes sleepily before looking over at his trainer.

"Sorry. But I just can't sleep right now." Natalie apologized when she saw the tired look in his eyes.

Fire Mage blinked before smiling a small, understanding smile. Natalie smiled back. "Can I tell you something?" Natalie asked as they gazed up at the endless sea of stars above them. "Since we're going to be traveling together, I might as well tell you a bit about myself."

Fire Mage was all ears.

"The truth is, I actually just moved here from Kanto. You see... My parents are Ryhorn racers. And the best out there. They use to take me to their races all the time since I could walk." the small smile that was on her face suddenly dropped an inch. "A year ago...during a race...my dad got into a terrible accident..."

Fire Mage lifted his head up when he noticed the sudden change in his trainer's voice. Was she about to cry?

"Ryhorn was alright." Natalie said, "But dad..."

Fire Mage noticed a small glint streak down her cheek. A mournful whimper escaped Fire Mage as his ears flattened. He walked up to Natalie and licked her cheek soothingly. This had taken Natalie slightly by surprise. But it also assured her that Fire Mage was actually listening.

"Thanks, Fire Mage." she said, a look of gratitude in her brown eyes.

"Frrrrghh!" Fire Mage yipped happily.

**X.X**

**Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Quick update!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such ;)**

**Today we meet the first pokemon I captured on my character's journey!**

**X.X**

A leaf floated down lazily beside Natalie as she made her way through the thick forest known as Santalune Forest. Around her she noticed a variety of pokemon. A few fletchlings flew overhead, chirping happily. Natalie wouldn't mind living in a place like this. It would be a great get away spot for herself and her pokemon when they defeat the pokemon league.

It's always been her dream to defeat the pokemon league, ever since she could remember. She closed her eyes and a small smile appeared on her lips as a memory suddenly came rushing back...

_Flashback..._

_Seven year-old Natalie pushed her way through the crowd of eager civilians and reporters who stood outside the famous home of Kanto Pokemon Champion Red. The young man was a legend around Kanto. Having not only defeated the pokemon league, but also the infamous Team Rocket! _

_It was said that the young man would be going on a world journey with his pokemon, and might be gone for a long while. So everyone was coming to say goodbye to their hero. Natalie eagerly wanted to be the first to see him off. After all, she saw him as her hero. Being able to defeat Team Rocket? How cool is that! She stopped mid-way in the crowd when she faintly heard the squeaking of a door opening. Everyone started cheering when the young man stepped out._

No! _Natalie thought frantically as she shoved her way through. The crowd suddenly shifted without warning and the young girl collapsed on the ground in front of Red's house. This caught some onlookers attention and they quick went over to see if she was alright. _

_"Are you okay?" one asked._

_"Are you hurt?" asked another._

_Natalie merely whimpered. Tears brimming her dark brown eyes. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" she cried, "WAAAAAAAAAAH! I-I JUST W-WANTED TO S-SAY BYE BYE TO REEEEEEEEED!" the young girl bawled as she covered her eyes with her little hands. She then heard footsteps approaching her. She looked up and was greeted by a hand stretched out to her._

_She looked up but only saw the silhouette of a young man. She reached her hand out and allowed herself to be helped up. Once she got to her feet she dusted off her blue girl skirt. When she looked up she let out a small gasp when she realized who it was. "T-Thank you." she said, feeling a bit nervous._

_The red trainer smiled. Giving her a small nod. Red was always a man with few words. What he did next would always one of the most memorable things in Natalie's mind. The trainer removed his favorite hat and placed it on her head. A few people in the crowd gasped. Knowing how much Red loved his hat. Even Natalie was surprised. When she looked up she saw Red give her a friendly wink before he brought out his Charizard. Natalie watched the young man hop on the winged lizard's back before taking off. Flying high in the sky until he was nothing but a red speck in the horizon..._

_Flashback abruptly ends_

"HEY N-KINS!"

Natalie's eyes snapped open and she stopped in her tracks. "Huh?" she turned around to see Shauna running up to her. "Shauna." she greeted with a friendly smile.

"H-Hey!" Shauna panted, "I-I know this is s-sudden. B-but can I walk with you? I-I have a feeling that something f-fun will happen."

Natalie smiled. It wouldn't hurt to have Shauna with her for a bit. Besides, it could help them get to know eachaother a bit better. "Sure." she replied.

"Thanks." the young girl said, her eyes glittering gratefully at her.

...

"So. What's Kanto like?" Shauna asked as they walked down the dirt path together.

"Different." Natalie replied.

"How so?"

Natalie shrugged. "We certainly don't have big forests like this. Plus the pokemon there are FAR different then the ones here."

"Name one."

"Hmm. Have you ever heard of Muk?"

Shauna gave her an odd look. "Muk? What's that?" she asked.

Natalie had to fight back the laugh that was threatening to come out. "Muk is a poison type pokemon. But I'll leave the rest up to your imagination."

"Awww!" Shauna whined.

Natalie giggled. "So, what's Kalos like?"

Shauna stopped her whining and shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I haven't been all over Kalos. I've been as far as Lumiose City with my family. And I've been here for twelve years!"

Natalie laughed. "Well I've only been here for five weeks." she said.

"I can tell you're going to like Kalos. But I got to know, why did you and your mom move here in the first place?"

Natalie bit her bottom lip. "Well... You see-"

"N-kins! Shauna!" a familiar voice called ahead of them. The girls looked up to see Tierno, Calem, and Trevor standing near the exit to Santalune Forest.

"Tierno!" Shauna cried happily before she ran ahead to greet them.

"Good to see you again, neighbor." Calem said with a smile.

"Same here." Natalie smiled back.

"Caught any pokemon yet?"

Natalie shook her head. "Not yet. I just took some time to get to know Fire Mage a little more."

"You're going to have to catch some pokemon eventually if you want to compete with other trainers." Trevor said.

"Stop being such a smart alex, Trevor." Shauna said.

Trevor frowned.

"Hey! Since we're all here, let's leave the forest together!" Tierno suggested.

"Why not?" Natalie said.

The friends soon stood shoulder-to-shoulder and marched out of the forest together with determined smiles on their faces. Soon the bright light of day greeted them once they were finally out of the woods.

"Oh! It's good to be out!" Tierno said loudly as he embraced the sunlight.

"Well I'm going to go now." Calem said, "Catch you guys later." After Calem left, Trevor and Tierno said their goodbyes before leaving as well. Shauna then turned to Natalie, thanked her, and left as well.

Natalie watched her new friends disappear down the hill. A small smile appeared on her lips before she made her way down the path. The next town clear in her sight. However, halfway through, she heard rustling coming from the tall grass beside her.

"Huh?" she stopped to see what it was.

A yellow tail with a small nitch suddenly poked out of the tall grass. Followed by a pair of yellow ears with black tips. Natalie took a step forward, and the pokemon poked its entire head out.

"Hey! You're a pikachu!"

**X.X**

**Yeeeeeeeeeeep. The first pokemon I caught was a girl pikachu :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such.**

**X.X**

Natalie immediately reached into her purse and brought out her pokedex.

**'Pikachu: The Mouse Pokemon. It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs.'**

"Wow! Neat!" Natalie said before she looked up at the pokemon. The pokemon cocked it's head curiously at her and blinked.

"Pika? Pika?"

"You're so cute!" Natalie giggled. Reaching into her bag, she brought the pokeball that contained Fire Mage and threw it. "Go! Fire Mage!"

"Frrrrgggh!" Fire Mage cried before he landed on all fours.

The pikachu seemed to sense that this trainer wanted to battle with her. The yellow pokemon jumped out of the tall grass and got into a fighting position.

"Fire Mage! Use ember!"

Fire Mage used ember on the pikachu.

"Pika!" the pikachu cried. Static suddenly appeared from it's red cheeks and it unleashed a thundershock on Fire Mage.

"FRAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!" the fennekin cried as he was hit with at least a thousand bolts of electricity.

"Fire Mage!" Natalie cried. Fire Mage struggled to push himself up. But managed. "Quick! Use tackle!"

Fire Mage let out a quick cry before he tackled the pikachu. The tackle had sent the pikachu flying, causing her to hit a rock and faint. Natalie immediately brought out a pokeball and threw it at the pikachu. She and Fire Mage watched nervously as the ball rocked side-to-side. There was a _ding _and the ball stopped.

"WHOO HOO!" Natalie cheered as she fist pumped, "I caught a pikachu!"

Fire Mage yipped happily. He then let out a surprised bark when his trainer suddenly scooped him up and hugged him tightly. "I couldn't have done it without you, Fire Mage." Natalie said, her eyes glittering.

"Yip!" Fire Mage yipped happily.

Natalie placed her fennekin down and went over to pick up the pokeball that contained her pikachu. "I'm going to call you Lilith, now." she said.

"Frgh?" Fire Mage tilted his head questionablely.

"I think Lilith sounds cute." Natalie giggled before she placed the pokeball in her purse. "You deserve a good rest, return." she then returned her fennekin to its pokeball.

...

Mrs. Dane sighed softly as she finished washing her plate. She quickly peeked out her kitchen window and smiled when she saw her Ryhorn sleeping peacefully on it's blanket.

"Chirp chirp?" her fletchling chirped worriedly when it landed on the counter.

Mrs. Dane sighed. "I'm alright, Fletchy. I'm just worried about Natalie."

"Chirp..."

There was a vibrating sound that suddenly took both of them by surprise. Fletchy nearly fell off the counter when it happened. It was coming from the Holo Caster that she had on the table. She frantically dashed over and answered it.

"Natalie?!" she gasped.

"Hi mom!" the holographic image of Natalie replied, "Sorry I didn't call you sooner."

"It's alright, dear." Mrs. Dane chuckled, "Where are you now?"

"I'm at the pokemon center in Santalune City. I just caught my first pokemon!"

"Oh? And who's that?"

"A pikachu I named Lilith." Natalie replied before she picked up her pikachu to show her. "Say hi to my mom, Lilith!"

"Pika! Pika!" Lilith greeted happily.

"Frrrrghh!" Fire Mage greeted as well.

"And that's my partner Fire Mage!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Mrs. Dane replied with a smile.

"I got to go now mom, I need to prepare for my first gym battle tomorrow." Natalie said.

"Oh. Well be sure to tell me how things play out in the end." Mrs. Dane said.

"I will." Natalie said, "Love you mom. Bye." and the holo call ended.

Mrs. Dane sighed softly. Fletchy immediately flew over and perched on her shoulder, chirping in concern. "Oh, Fletchy, they grow up so fast." she sighed fondly. She then made her way over to a small family photo of her late husband, an infant Natalie, and herself that was present on the wall. "It feels like only yesterday she just called me mama..."

...

That night, Natalie found herself unable to sleep right away. She looked over to the other bed where her pikachu and fennekin were already curled up and fast asleep. The site looked rather cute. She was very happy that the two were getting along great. She rolled over until her back was facing them and she was looking out the window outside. Only a few lights remained on in the small city. But she didn't mind though.

Truthfully, Natalie never liked the dark much. It's why she still slept with a night light in her room back home. Of course that was one of the many secrets she kept from others. Feeling that they would make fun of her if they did find out. But as for Calem, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna... They seem alright. They're easy to talk to and trust. Which is why she's grateful to have met them outside her doorstep that one morning.

She didn't have many friends back in Kanto. Back in her home town, Pallet Town, she either stayed inside and kept to herself or helped the processor out in his lab. It was fun spending time with the pokemon there. Along with the family ryhorn. Perhaps it would explain why she's so good with pokemon. Particularly younger ones.

A small smile appeared on her lips as she started to doze off into a peaceful sleep. Feeling excited about her first gym battle. What's it going to be like? What kind of trainer the gym leader is? What kind of pokemon do they use?

Oh! The thrill of it all.

**X.X**

**Yep. I easily won my first battle thanks to Fire Mage. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such ^-^**

**X.X**

So you must be Natalie I presume?" the referee asked. A little too close to her face.

"U-uh... Yes, sir." Natalie replied, trying not to look too freaked out.

"Ha! Ha!" the ref let out a quick laugh, finally standing up straight and giving Natalie her space. "Well now, my future champion, this is your first gym battle yes?"

"Yes, sir." Natalie replied. She was beginning to get a little annoyed with the ref right now.

"Well in that case, the gym leader is just beyond that door there." he said, "Sorry if I _bugged _you there."

Natalie arched her slim black brow at him before walking towards the door. As soon as she stepped in she found herself in a rather large room with many trees and spider webs. She slowly made her way through the thin path until she ended up in a clearing. Standing on the other side was an adult woman with blonde hair and dark green eyes. In her hands was a rather expensive looking camera. Without warning, she suddenly snapped a picture of her. Natalie's vision was slightly blurred before settling again.

"That determined expression... That glint in your eye that says you're up to the challenge... It's fantastic! Just fantastic!" the woman cried happily.

"Thanks?" Natalie replied. Geez! She's even worse then the referee!

"Is this your first time challenging a gym? Fantastic! Whether it's the tears of frustration that follow a loss or the blossoming joy that comes with victory... They're both great subjects for my camera! Fantastic! This'll be fantastic! Now come at me! My lens is always focused on victory-I won't let anything ruin this shot!" without warning, the woman suddenly brought out a pokeball and tossed it in the air.

"Surskit! I choose you!"

The pokeball opened and a small blue pokemon with skinny legs suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

_Surskit, huh? If I remember correctly it's a water and bug type. I don't wanna risk anything by bringing out Fire Mage... _A sudden realization suddenly hit Natalie and she smirked. "Go! Lilith!" she cried, tossing her pokeball in the air.

"Pika! Pika!" Lilith cried happily.

"Lilith! Use thundershock!" Natalie demanded.

"PikaaaaaaaaaCHUUUUUUUUUU!" Lilith suddenly unleashed bolts of electricity.

"Surskit! Dodge!" the gym leader cried.

The blue spider immediately dodged just as the lighting struck the ground. "Good! Now use tackle!"

"Surrrrrrrrskit!"

"Pika!" Lilith cried when she received a direct hit.

"Lilith!" Natalie cried. Lilith immediately got up and shook the dirt off her body.

"Fantastic!" the gym leader cried as she snapped pictures, "This is simply fantastic!"

"Lilith! Use thundershock again!"

Lilith used thundershock and was able to hit surskit. Surskit let out a cry before it fainted. "Nice try, Surskit!" the gym leader called, "Return!"

"Good job, Lilith!" Natalie cried before she returned Lilith to her pokeball.

"Go Vivillon!" the gym leader cried. The pokeball opened and revealed a light grey butterfly with pink wings.

"Go, Fire Mage!" Natalie yelled as she tossed the pokeball out. Fire Mage let out a yip before standing proudly on all fours. A determined look burning in his eyes.

"Vivillon! Use tackle!" the gym leader cried.

"Dodge, Fire Mage!"

The yellow fox immediately jumped out of the way, causing Vivillon to land head first on the ground.

"Use ember!"

Fire Mage did as he was told and preformed ember. Vivillon let out a panicked screech as it flew around the gym on fire.

"Ah! No!" the gym leader cried as she helplessly watched her pokemon fall to the ground. Fainted.

"Vivillon is unable to battle!" the ref called from his spot, "Fire Mage wins!"

Natalie blinked. "W-we won?" she said shakely. Unable to believe that she had just won her first battle. Fire Mage let out a happy yip before jumping in her arms. "We won!" Natalie cried as she hugged her pokemon tightly.

"Young trainer," the gym leader said as she walked up to them, "you... No, it wasn't you alone. You and your pokemon have shown me a whole new depth of field! Fantastic! Just fantastic!" she added with a laugh.

Natalie laughed rather awkwardly along with while Fire Mage merely sighed.

_Outside of the gym..._

The gym leader, who's name turned out to be Viola, stood in front of the doors with a small case in her hands. "I believe you've earned this." she said, showing Natalie a small glistening badge that was shaped like a ladybug, "The Bug Badge."

"Thanks." Natalie said before she reached out and took the small badge. The teenager looked at the badge with glittering eyes. She had won her first badge... And she couldn't have done it without Fire Mage and Lilith. "I... I just don't know what to say." she said, her voice cracking slightly.

Viola placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder and gave her a comforting smile. "It's always an amazing feeling when someone gets their first badge. But remember: there's more ahead. You'll need eight badges in total to get into the pokemon league."

"I know." Natalie sniffed as she placed the badge in a small silver case, "But where should I go next?"

"I suggest you try the gym in Cyllage City next." Viola replied.

"I will, thanks." Natalie replied. The young trainer then left Santalune gym and made her way over to the Pokecenter to heal her pokemon.

**X.X**

**Too many updates! X/ **


	6. Chapter 6

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n stuff ;)**

**Notice! I've decided not to have the Sycamore/OC thing. *cough* even if he is hot *cough*. Any way, I have better plans for him in the future anyway...**

**X.X**

Natalie was beginning to regret not staying the night at the pokecenter one last time. It was around the early nighttime hours by the time she decided to stop and set up camp for the night. Like always, she brought out her pokemon to keep her company. Something she was likely to do in the future.

"Try not to eat too fast, Lilith." Natalie said as she watched her pokemon chow down on their food.

Lilith bobbed her head before she resumed eating her chocolate flavored poffin. Natalie laughed when she noticed some chocolate frosting on Fire Mage's nose. "You're silly." Natalie remarked fondly as she cleaned the frosting off her pokemon's face.

"Frrrrgghhh!" Fire Mage purred as he nuzzled his trainer.

"Okay! Okay!" Natalie laughed. She then put out the small fire she had made and slipped into her sleeping bag. "Goodnight." she yawned. Lilith and Fire Mage went over and curled up beside her. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

"She's such a nice human." Lilith whispered to Fire Mage.

"I've only known her for three days and I already have a good feeling about her." Fire Mage replied, "And I like the name she's given me too."

"What's it like being born in a laboratory?" Lilith then asked. Having been born in the wilds of Kalos.

"Nice." Fire Mage replied, "They treat us well."

"Cool." Lilith said, "I always thought humans were cruel beings that use us as slaves and stuff. But this human doesn't seem bad at all."

"Not all humans are bad." Fire Mage said, looking up at their sleeping trainer, "Let's do our best to help her in her journey. Who knows? This might actually be a fun adventure."

Lilith nodded. Smiling.

_The next day..._

Natalie woke up bright and early the following morning. After returning her pokemon to their pokeballs and gathering up her things she resumed her journey down Route 4 to the next town. In the distance she could see the tips of tall buildings. After a quick look of her map, it was probably the city known as Lumiose City. The largest and most well known city in the entire Kalos Region! She suddenly heard something vibrating in her purse. Unzipping it she brought out her Holo Cast. The holo image of a rather charming man, probably in his early thirties, appeared.

"Hello there!" he greeted. Damn, even his voice sounded charming. "You're Natalie, I assume?"

"Yes." Natalie replied with a friendly smile.

"Well then. I'm Professor Augustine Sycamore. You could just call me Professor Sycamore, of course."

Natalie giggled.

"Anyway, I'm just requesting for you to come to my lab in Lumiose City."

"Sure. I'm actually on my way to Lumiose City already." Natalie replied.

"Great!" Sycamore said, "I've contained your friends as well. If you don't know where my lab is, it's the building with two statues outside."

"I'll be on the lookout when I arrive." Natalie said, "See you there."

The holo call ended. Natalie placed her Holo Cast back in her purse and exhaled. She couldn't help but wonder what Sycamore needed them for? Then again, he is the professor. The teen continued her walk down Route 4 and saw the city grow closer and closer each time she walked. Eventually she found herself at in the city itself. She stopped and looked on in awe at the many buildings around her. Having grown up in a small town, she's never been to many cities. Not even in Kanto.

Natalie walked the streets of the large city looking for the building the Professor had described to her. Unfortunately, due to a recent blackout, she couldn't go to certain parts of the city. She did, however, eventually find the building she was looking for. She walked up the small flight of steps, actually feeling a bit nervous about meeting the Professor in person. He didn't look like a bad guy. But you may never know. When she entered the building, the feeling of worry was immediately pushed away. There were other scientists in the building as well.

"Um... Excuse me?" she asked one of the scientists, "Where can I find Professor Sycamore?"

"Are you one of the trainers he wanted to see?" the scientist asked back.

"Yes ma'm."

The scientist then smiled and pointed her finger over to the elevator. "Just take that elevator to the second floor and you should find him there." she said.

"Thanks." Natalie said before she went over to the elevator and hit the button. The ride itself wasn't all that long. It only took her a few minutes until she reached the second floor. The room was rather spacious with good looking furniture. The young woman quickly fixed her hat before she slowly stepped out of the elevator.

"Hello?" she called.

"Ah! I'm over here." Sycamore's voice replied.

Natalie went over to the direction she heard the voice from and was soon greeted by the good looking professor himself. His hair was a dark blue color while his eyes were gray. "Ah. It's good to finally meet you in person." the professor said as he approached her from his desk. "You're the daughter of John and Grace Dane, no?"

"Yes sir." Natalie replied, "I've recently moved here from Kanto."

"I see." Sycamore then looked around, "Where are the others, I wonder."

They suddenly heard the elevator open and a familiar boy dressed in a blue jacket suddenly came running in. "Sorry I'm late!" Calem panted, "I got a little lost."

Sycamore laughed. "It happens.

"Oh! Natalie. Sycamore called you too?"

"Yep." Natalie replied.

They heard the elevator open again. This time it was Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno who ran out.

"Did we make it?! Did we make it?!" Trevor asked frantically.

"Relax, relax." Sycamore said with a smile, "You all made it just in time."

"Thank goodness!" Shauna sighed in relief, "This city is huge! I was a bit lost until I found Tierno and Trevor."

"We had to ask someone for help." Tierno added.

"I see." Sycamore chuckled, "But now that everyone is present, let us begin. Have any of you heard of Mega Evolution?"

"Mega what?" Shauna asked.

"Mega Evolution is a recently discovered type of evolution process that allows a pokemon to evolve into an even more powerful form."

"Wow! That sounds cool!" Tierno said. His eyes glittering.

"But." Sycamore added, "From what we learned, this process can only occur in battle. The pokemon will return to its normal form afterward."

"Woah." Calem said softly.

"But that's all we know of Mega Evolution as of now. What I want you all to do is go out and try to learn more of Mega Evolution."

"Okay." Natalie said.

"This dose sound pretty interesting. It might even help me fill up my pokedex!" Trevor said.

"Count me in!" Shauna said.

Tierno did a quick little dance before he replied, "Same here!"

Calem merely nodded.

Sycamore smiled. "I'm sure you all won't let me down. But first..." he suddenly brought out a pokeball, "I wish to challenge one of you to a battle!"

The trainers looked at one another to see who was willing enough to challenge the professor. Finally, Natalie stepped forward. "I'll challenge you." she said.

Sycamore nodded before he threw his pokeball. "Go, Squirtle!" he yelled. The capsule opened to reveal a blue turtle standing on two legs.

"Squirtle! Squirtle!" the pokemon cried.

"Go, Lilith!" Natalie cried.

"Pika! Pika!" her pikachu cried.

"Squirtle! Use tackle!"

"Squirtle!" the pokemon cried before it tackled Lilith with hard force.

"Pika!" Lilith cried.

"Lilith! Use thundershock!"

"PikaaaaaaaaaaaCHUUUUUUUUU!"

Squirtle let out cries of surprise and pain as it was hit with the electricity before fainting on the floor. "Wow! You're good. For a beginner." Sycamore said with a smirk as he returned his pokemon.

"I get it a lot." Natalie replied as she returned her pokemon as well.

"But this is only the start! Go! Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba!" the green pokemon cried.

"Go! Fire Mage!"

"Frrrgghhh!" Fire Mage yipped.

"Quick! Use ember!"

"Frggggghhhhhhhhhh!"

"BULLLLLBAAAAA!" Bulbasaur cried.

"Aw! I didn't even get a chance to attack." Sycamore said when his pokemon fell to the ground. Charred and fainted.

"Whoops." Natalie said.

Sycamore's eyes suddenly glittered slightly. "But that's good. Go! Charmander!"

"Char! Char!"

"So he saved the fire type for last..." Natalie murmured to herself. She then looked over to Fire Mage, who looked back at her with assuring eyes. A smile appeared on Natalie's lips. "Let's give it our best shot."

"Frrrggh!"

"Charmander! Use scratch!"

"Char!"

"Quick, Fire Mage, dodge!" Natalie cried.

The fox immediately got out of the way. Causing the other pokemon to hit his head against the wall. "Good! Now use tackle!"

"Frrgggh!" Fire Mage started to run over to the other pokemon. It was then that Natalie realized Fire Mage was picking up speed.

"Huh?"

"Natalie!" Calem called from behind, "He's using Quick Attack!"

"Oh! Fire Mage! Use Quick Attack!" Fire Mage nodded before he struck Charmander with a hard blow.

"CHAAAAAAAAAAR!"

"Aw no!" Sycamore said once his Charmander hit the floor.

"Alright! Good job, Fire Mage!" Natalie cried happily.

"Yip!" Fire Mage barked happily as he was returned to his pokeball.

"Natalie! You're amazing!" Shauna said as she and the others gathered around their friend.

"Thanks." Natalie replied, "But wouldn't have know Fire Mage was using Quick Attack if it hadn't been for Calem."

"Oh, please." Calem chuckled, "You would've figured out sooner or later."

The group laughed in response. It was then that Sycamore approached them with a suitcase. "You were great!" he said to Natalie, "As an award, I would like you to have one of the three starters of Kanto."

Natalie's eyes flashed with shock. "R-really?" she asked. She could remember times when she would help the professor back in Kanto care for the starters. She was particularly fond of Charmander. And not because it was Red's starter pokemon.

"No joke." Sycamore replied.

Natalie looked down at the three pokeballs and immediately chose the one with the Charmander.

**X.X**

**Please know that I nickname all of my pokemon in this XD**


	7. Chapter 7

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such ;)**

**I have to say, of all the Pokemon villains I've seen from FireRed to Y, Lysandre has GOT to be my first favorite villain in pokemon. 'Cause I think he's kinda... Good looking. Yeah...**

**Fire Mage: *Facepalms***

**X.X**

I'm going to name him Ariel." Natalie said as she looked at the pokeball and then up at Sycamore.

"Nice name." Sycamore said with a smile, "Goes well with what he'll become in the future if you train him enough."

"I know." Natalie placed the pokeball in her purse, "Thanks."

"So I guess this means we should get going then." Shauna said.

"If that's the case," Sycamore said, "Then I wish you all luck on your journeys! And I be sure to learn more of Mega Evolution."

"Right!" the trainers said in unison.

_Later that day..._

"Here you go little buddy." Natalie said as she gave Ariel a poffin.

"Char!" Ariel let out a cry of gratitude before he started munching on the poffin.

Natalie giggled as she watched her pokemon munch on their food. She was thinking of getting something to eat as well before her Holo Cast started buzzing again. She answered and was surprised to see the holo form of Calem.

"Hey, Natalie!" he greeted, "I was just wondering if you could meet me at this cafe here in the city if you can."

"Sure. When do you want me to come?" Natalie asked.

"Some time this afternoon." Calem replied.

"Cool." Natalie said, "See you then.

The holo call ended. After putting her Holo Cast away she couldn't help but wonder why Calem wanted to see her. _Maybe he wants to ask me on a date_, she thought jokingly. Although she couldn't help but blush slightly at the thought. Calem was a good looking dude. But he just wasn't her type.

...

Once again, Natalie was a bit lost until she eventually came across the cafe she was suppose to meet Calem in. However, when she stepped inside, she didn't see Calem anywhere.

_Maybe he's running late? _she thought. She looked around the cafe and noticed a few people either leaning against the counter chatting or sitting on a chair reading. Natalie was thinking of having a seat herself until something caught her eye. She noticed two people standing by the counter. A pretty looking woman dressed in white that looked very familiar. Hasn't she seen her on TV before? And then there was a robust looking man with flame red hair. She must've unintentionally got their attention because she soon found herself standing before the two.

"Oh, I see you have a Holo Caster!" the robust man said.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, sir." Natalie chuckled. Trying not to hide her nervousness. She didn't know who the man was, but he did look pretty powerful.

"I'm Lysandre." the man introduced himself, "I invented the Holo Cast to help communication between trainers become much more better. In hopes it would help bring us humans closer together."

"I'm Natalie." Natalie replied. Okay. At least she knew the guy's name.

"Oh, my." the woman in white said when she walked up to her as well, "Are you perhaps the daughter of John and Grace Dane?"

"Yes ma'm."

"I read about you and your mother in the paper last year. I'm sorry about your loss..."

A pang of sorrow hit Natalie's heart. But she managed to nod her head slowly. "Thank you. At least he's in a better place."

"Tragic," Lysandre said, closing his eyes and lowering his head, "when one loses someone close to them. Whether an accident or worse." he then opened his eyes. Natalie could feel them boring into her soul. "Which is why I hope to change the world into a more beautiful place. Free of such things."

Natalie nodded. The cafe door suddenly opened and she looked over her shoulder to see Calem and Sycamore enter. "Natalie!" Calem said before he quickly walked over to her.

"Sorry I'm late. I got a little lost so I had to go and ask Sycamore for help." Calem apologised as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"It's fine." Natalie said, smiling at him.

"Ah! If it isn't my dear friend, Lysandre." Sycamore said as he walked up to them.

"Sycamore." Lysandre replied, giving him a slight nod.

"I see you were just talking to one of my "disciples" as you call them." Sycamore said.

Lysandre arched his brow slightly. "Oh? This is one of the trainers you were telling me about last night?"

Sycamore nodded. "Yep. And believe me. She's one hell of a trainer for someone her age." he added.

"Hey!" Calem suddenly said out of the blue, "I know you!"

The woman in white blinked. "Who? Me?" she asked.

"Yeah! I've seen you on TV! You're Diantha!"

_Diantha! _The name immediately clicked in Natalie's head. It would explain why she's seen her on TV a lot. She's one of the best actresses out there! And the best trainer too!

Diantha giggled. "You've seen some of my movies I assume." she said.

"Some of it." Calem said, "But my mom is a huge fan of your works."

"I'm sure she is." Diantha said with a kind smile. Lysandre then tapped her shoulder lightly. Diantha turned to the red haired man. "Yes?" she asked.

"I'm going." he said, "It was great catching up with you."

Diantha smiled and nodded. "Same here. It was great seeing you again."

Lysandre nodded. "I'll be seeing you around."

Natalie and the others watched the robust man leave the cafe. "I gotta get going too." Sycamore said, "I'll call you two now and then to see your progress." and with that, he left as well.

"Looks like it's time for me to leave as well." Diantha said, "I hope to see you both again. We should battle sometime." the woman then left, leaving Natalie and Calem alone.

"That was...interesting." Calem said.

"Tell me about it." Natalie chuckled, "By the way, what did you call me for in the first place?"

"Oh yeah!" Calem said. In a the blink of an eye, he suddenly brought out a pokeball and held it at her face. "I want to challenge you to a battle!"

**X.X**

**Yep! Introduced Lysandre and Diantha. :D I really have nothing else to say but thank the ones who ACTUALLY review for this fic. It helps keep me motivated and it also lets me know that people are actually interested in this story. So thanks ;)**

**And sorry if I update too fast XD **


	8. Chapter 8

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such my dear readers ;D (Just wanted to try something new)**

**X.X**

A gentle breeze brushed against Natalie's short black wavy hair as she stood in a battle position in one of the battle courts that were available in Lumious City. Standing across from her was Calem. Who was also standing in a battle position. Around them, onlookers stood by to watch the battle.

"Espurr! I chose you!" Calem yelled as he threw the pokemon. The capsule opened and a bipedal purple pokemon came out.

"Prrrruuu!" the pokemon cried.

"Ariel! I choose you!" Natalie yelled.

"Char!" Ariel cried.

"Ariel! Use scratch!" Natalie then yelled. Ariel did as he was commanded to and attacked the Espurr with multiple rounds of scratches.

"Espurr! Use tackle!" Calem yelled.

"EssssssPURRRRRRR!"

"Char!" Ariel cried out in pain when he was tackled hard.

"Good! Now use bite!"

"CHAAAAAAAAAR!" Ariel fell on his side in front of Natalie.

"Ariel!" she cried.

"C-chaaaaaaar." Ariel weakly managed to push himself to his feet.

"Ariel! Use ember!" Natalie yelled.

"Chaaaaaaaar!" Ariel roared before he attacked Espurr with the move ember.

"ESPURR! ESPURR! ESPURR!" Espurr cried in alarm as his entire body caught fire.

"Espurr!" Calem cried.

"Now use scratch, Ariel!"

"CharrrrrrrrrrMANDER!" Ariel finished Espurr off with a direct hit.

"Espurr, no!" Calem said as his pokemon fainted before him. He then sighed and returned him to his pokeball. "You did good." he said to the pokeball.

"Yes!" Natalie cried happily, "Good job, Ariel!"

"Char! Char!" Ariel said happily before he was returned to his pokeball.

"Not bad, neighbor." Calem said, "But this battle isn't over just yet. Go, Froakie!" Calem tossed his pokeball in the air and the little blue frog hopped out.

"Frrrrrroakie!" Froakie cried.

Natalie smirked. "Big mistake. Go! Lilith!"

"Pika! Pika!" Lilith cried happily.

"Aw crap! I totally forgot you had a pikachu!" Calem said, slapping his forehead with his hand.

A leaf suddenly blew in between the battling trainers. Both Natalie and Lilith had a dismayed look on their face. "Really?" Natalie said, "You forgot already?"

"Hey! Getting lost in the city can mess with your mind sometimes!" Calem protested.

Natalie shook her head silently. They were beginning to sound like children fighting over who's fault is whos. It was a little funny actually.

"Whatever! Let's continue this battle already!" Calem finally said fiercely.

"Okay then. Lilith! Use thundershock!"

"PikaaaaaaaCHUUUUUU!"

"Crap!" Calem yelled when the attack K.O.'d his Froakie. And since he didn't have any other pokemon with him for now. He's lost this battle.

"Nice work, Lilith!" Natalie said before returning her pokemon to her pokeball.

"Wow. I didn't think you were that good, neighbor." Calem admitted after he returned his pokemon to his pokeball.

"Thanks." Natalie said, "You weren't so bad yourself."

The two were surprised when they received a round of applause and some cheers from the onlookers around them. It appears that they actually enjoyed the small battle. The two trainers laughed softly at the attention before smiling at one another.

_That evening..._

Despite half of the city was without power, it was still pretty nice. She and Calem decided to spend the evening together having dinner in the park. It wasn't a fancy dinner. Only some sandwiches and pokefood for the pokemon. While their trainers chat and ate, the pokemon were having a conversation themselves.

"That was a pretty good fight out there." Espurr said as he nibbled on his poffin. Getting some blue frosting on his face.

"Thanks." Ariel said with a smile before he devoured his poffin.

"How are things for you and Calem?" Fire Mage asked Froakie.

"Slow." Froakie replied, "But he's a caring and hardworking human. The guy's alright once you get to know him."

"Same with Natalie." Lilith chuckled.

Meanwhile their trainers were watching them curiously. Oblivious to what they're saying to one another. "I wonder what they're saying." Natalie said as they looked away and at the sunset.

"Beats me." Calem replied, "I just hope it's something good."

"I'm sure it is." Natalie laughed.

"By the way. That was pretty impressive the way you battled with your pokemon." Calem added.

"I guess it's a gift." Natalie giggled, hugging her legs close to her chest, "That. Or I'm just good with pokemon. I use to help Professor Oak out at his lab back when I lived in Kanto."

"_The _Professor Oak?" Calem repeated. "It would explain why you're so good with your pokemon."

"Remember, Calem." Natalie reminded, "This is only the beginning. Who knows? I might lose to you one of these days."

Calem smirked. "If that's the case..." the young man stood up and clenched his hand into a fist. A determined look in his eyes. "Then I demand a rematch when we get the chance."

Natalie blinked before she smiled as well. "Not a problem." she said, standing up as well. The two smiled at one another as the sun finally slipped in the horizon.

**X.X**

**Before any of you say something, NO. There will NOT be any romance between Natalie and Calem. Sorry for the disappointment. But I don't this fic becoming one of those where the character falls in love with his/hers rival. **

**Hehehehehehe :D **


	9. Chapter 9

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such.**

**To mariposablosson: You're right. Since I'm having the pokemon play a major role as well, I might as well give them personalities. I was thinking of doing that, actually. But extra kudos to you for bringing up the idea ;)**

**X.X**

Natalie had left Lumious City bright and early the next morning. Calem having left the night before. Natalie lifted her hand to cover her mouth when a yawn slipped through her lips. She wasn't use getting up this early. Unless it was time for school. The sky was a pale orange mixed with pink. Peach color you could say. The sun was just starting to rise up in the horizon. Casting its morning light upon the land itself. The fresh start of a new day.

The first hour was rather uneventful for the most part. That is...until she noticed something out of place on the bridge ahead. A large mass was present.

"What the hell?" she muttered to herself as she got closer.

The mass soon took from into a rather big, round pokemon that seemed to be in a deep sleep. Its snores were loud enough to vibrate the ground slightly.

"You're a Snorlax." Natalie muttered to herself. This was certainly a predicament here. She's had her share of running into sleeping Snorlaxs back in Kanto. It was certainly a nuisance. But what can you do?

"Excuse me. Miss?" a voice asked from behind.

"Huh?" Natalie turned around to see two men approach her. One looking a lot older then the other.

"Are you trying to get to Camphrier as well?" the elderly man asked.

"Yes, sir." Natalie nodded.

"Well I'm going to have to apologize in advance." the man sighed. "This snorlax has been here for days. We've tried everything that we could but it wouldn't budge! So until we figure out a way to wake up the snorlax and send him home, you're going to have to wait."

"Don't you have a Pokeflute?" Natalie asked.

"Pokeflute?" the elderly man repeated.

"Pokeflute. It's a special flute that is able to wake up even the heaviest of sleepers. Including pokemon. Don't you have one?"

"I'm afraid not." the other man sighed. "But I know someone who dose own one."

"Really? Who might that be?"

"The man who owns Parfum Palace." the elderly man replied. "It's just north of Route 6. It's not that hard to spot as well." he added.

Natalie thought for a second before nodding. "Alright then. I'll go get the Pokeflute." she said.

"R-really?!" the elderly man asked happily.

"Of course. We have this kind of problem back in Kanto a lot. So I can handle it." Natalie said with a smile.

"Oh! I don't know how I could repay you for this."

Natalie shook her head. "There's no need to pay me, sir. I'm just doing my part in helping others."

...

The walk to Parfum Palace took only an hour. When she finally spotted the palace, Natalie couldn't help but look at it in awe. It was a beautiful building. Probably filled with all sorts of rooms. It looked like one of those palaces from a fairy tale. But Natalie was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a yell. She looked over to the large iron gate and spotted a familiar young girl stomp her foot on the ground in front of a well dressed man.

"1,000 poke!? Are you kidding me!?" Shauna yelled angrily. Both of her hands balled into angry fists.

"I'm sorry ma'm." the guard said calmly, "But either pay up, or leave."

"What's it with rick people nowadays!" Shauna yelled.

"Shauna?" Natalie asked as she approached her.

Shauna let out a small gasp before she immediately spun around. "Natalie!" she gasped nervously, "H-hi."

"What seems to be the problem?" the older teen asked as she stood beside her.

"Apparently I have to pay 1,000 poke just to visit the palace." Shauna said, arms crossed frustratingly, "What about you? Are here to see the palace too?"

"No, no." Natalie chuckled, "I'm just here to ask the person in charge if I could borrow something."

"If you wish to speak with him, please pay 1,000 poke for entrance." the guard said.

"Alright! Fine! I'll pay the damn fee." Shauna cursed. Just as she was about to reach into her bag, Natalie held her hand out.

"It's alright, Shauna. I'll pay for the both of us." Natalie said as she reached into her purse.

Shauna's eyes widened. "Are...are you sure, N-kins?" she asked as she watched her rummage through her purse.

"Positive." Natalie replied before she handed the guard the money to pay for the fee.

"Please enjoy your visit." the guard said before he opened the gates to Parfum Palace.

"Don't mind if I do!" Shauna said before she marched in with her head held high. Natalie smiled and followed her in. Once they were inside, both girls gasped. "Wooooooooooooooow." Shauna said in awe as her eyes gazed upon the ancient art and style of the palace. "This place is amazing!" the young trainer added.

Natalie looked around in awe as well.

"Oh, no! Oh, no!" a voice cried frantically.

"Huh?" both girls said in unison when a distraught looking man suddenly came speeding over to them.

"Have any of you seen my Furfrou? My dear Furfrou is missing and I can't seem to find him!" the man asked desperately. Both girls shook their heads.

"Sorry Mister. I haven't seen one any where." Shauna said.

"Me neither." Natalie added.

"Oh! My dear Furfrou!" the man fell to his knees and started to weep softly.

Natalie felt pity swell up in her. She knew first hand what's like losing a pokemon you loved you dearly...

_Flashback_

_Five year old Natalie sat on the steps of her Kanto home in Pallet Town. In her hands she held Ryhorn's favorite ball. _

_"Natalie?" a concerned voice asked from behind._

_The child looked up with teary eyes to see her mother standing behind the door looking down at her with worried eyes. "Sorry mommy." Natalie sniffed as she hugged the ball tighter._

_Grace sighed and closed the door behind her before she sat on the same step as her daughter. "I know you're worried about Ryhorn." she said, "But your father is out there looking for him. I know he'll find him."_

_"B-but what if he doesn't?" Natalie whimpered, "W-what if Ryhorn never comes home! What someone took him!"_

_"Now don't say that." her mother said sternly. "Never say negative things like that again. Stuff like that will nerve help you in a situation. What you could do is try to stay strong. You have to believe Ryhorn will come home. I believe he will come home."_

_Natalie sniffed and bobbed her head sadly before a familiar cry caught her attention. Both girls looked down the road and spotted two figures approaching. One was of a pokemon. And the other, a man. "Ryhorn!" Natalie cried happily before she dropped the ball and immediately ran over to greet the pokemon._

_The Ryhorn let out a happy cry when he saw her and immediately stopped to let her hug him._

_"Oh! Ryhorn! I thought you would never come home!" Natalie sobbed as she hugged the pokemon tightly. Ryhorn let out a soft cry and licked Natalie's cheek in apology. _

_"I found him by the lake taking a nap." her father sighed, "But he's alright, thank Arceus." _

_Natalie sniffed and smiled up at her father and then at Ryhorn. She was just so glad they were home..._

_Flashback ends..._

"We can help you find him." she said.

"What?!" Shauna asked in shock.

The man looked up at Natalie with watery eyes. "R-really?" he asked, his eyes glittering hopefully.

Natalie smiled and nodded. "We'll find your Furfrou. Right Shauna?"

"Uh... Yeah! We're pokemon trainers after all! It's also out duty to help other trainers too!"

The man jumped to his feet and clapped his hands together happily. "Oh! Joyous day!" he cried happily, "I can't thank any of you enough!"

Natalie smiled. "Now... May we have a map to this place? Finding your Furfrou might take a while..."

**X.X**

**This chapter was originally going to be much longer. But I decided to cut it into two parts. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such**

**X.X**

The search for Furfrou took much longer than Natalie or Shauna anticipated. They searched the entire palace from top to bottom. Even the courtyard for possible hiding places the dog like pokemon could've hidden in. By the time they reached the back, exhausted, it was around the late evening hours. But once they stepped out of the palace and into the prized garden, their eyes sparkled like stars.

"Cool!" Shauna said as she ran a bit ahead, "This place is so beautiful!"

"I don't think I've ever seen anything this beautiful in my life." Natalie said as she joined Shauna. The two crossed the bridge together, admiring the view.

"Hey!" Shauna said, stopping, "What are those pokemon?"

Natalie looked over to where she was pointing and spotted two statues facing each other. As if they were about to engage in battle. Natalie immediately recognized them from a book she once read in school. "That's Reshiram and Zekrom." she said.

"Reshiwho and Zekwhat?" Shauna asked.

"They're the legendaries from Unova."

"Oh. You sure know a lot about pokemon." Shauna said as they walked down the steps.

"Not really." Natalie chuckled, "I only know about those two from a book I read in school."

"Hold on." Shauna said, suddenly stretching her arm out for her to stop. "Isn't that a Furfrou?"

The two girls spotted a white, furry dog chasing it's tail in front of them. The two watched dumbfounded briefly before they snapped back into concentration.

"Could that be the guy's Furfrou?"

"Must be." Natalie said. "Let's go and see."

Both girls slowly continued their way down the steps until they reached the bottom. They inched their way over to the pokemon slowly. Hoping not to frighten it. But then. The pokemon caught sight of them and stopped chasing his tail. Both girls froze.

"Woof! Woof!" the pokemon cried before he dashed down the path.

"Hey!" Natalie cried, "Wait!"

Both girls gave chase. Following the dog down a series of hedge mazes. Eventually they lost sight of it and the girls had to split up. Natalie looked in the left while Shauna looked in the right. The sun was slowly setting in the horizon. Tainting the sky a firey red and purple color. Thankfully there were light posts in the garden. Giving them enough light to continue their search. Eventually, Natalie found the Furfrou in the last maze sitting down.

"N-kins!" Shauna called as she came running over, "Did you-?"

"Ssh!" Natalie hushed her immediately. Pointing a finger over to the resting pokemon. "Keep your voice down." Natalie ordered.

"What are we going to do?" Shauna whispered, "We need to find a way to catch him without having to knock him out!"

Natalie thought for a moment. "We need to corner him." she replied, "That way he'll have no where else to go."

"Great idea! But how do we corner him without chasing him out?"

"Hmm... I have an idea."

...

The Furfrou layed curled up in the dirt path. Feeling a bit exhausted from all the running he'd done. His ears suddenly perked up in alarm and he raised his head to Natalie coming at him.

"Woof! Woof!" the pokemon cried in alarm before he immediately scrambled to his feet and bolted. Natalie chased him all over the maze. Just as Furfrou was about to reach the exit, Shauna jumped out and blocked him. The pokemon cried before he immediately ran the other way.

"Quick! Get him on the other side!" Natalie yelled. The two girls chased the dog on opposite sides of the maze. Eventually leading the Furfrou in a dead end. Shauna jumped for joy.

"Alright! We did it!" she said happily.

"High-five." Natalie chuckled before the two high-fived.

"Furfrou!"

The girls looked over to the man and what they believe is a servant come running over to them. The pokemon barked happily and immediately jumped into his trainer's arms. The girls watched the happy reunion with smiles on their faces.

"Oh! My Furfrou! My dear Furfrou!" the man cried happily as his pokemon licked him non-stop. He then got up to his feet and turned to Natalie and Shauna with a big smile on his face. "You both found my Furfrou!" he said happily, "I thank you both very much."

"Not a problem." Natalie said.

"This calls for celebration." the man said, "Let us have a fireworks show in celebration of my Furfrou's return! Come to the balcony for a good view. I'll got make the preparations."

The two girls watched the trio leave the garden. "A fireworks show!" Shauna said to Natalie happily, "I love fireworks! Let's go to the balcony so we could watch them together!"

"Great idea." Natalie chuckled before the two left the garden.

...

The time the girls arrived at the balcony the skies were already dark. Shauna was very excited.

"You know, N-kins," she said as they watched the skies, "I'm glade we became friends."

"Huh?" Natalie looked over at the younger trainer, who was still looking up at the sky with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad I went on this journey. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met you. Before you came along, I was the only girl in the group. And as you can imagine, it's not always fun being the only tomboy."

Natalie laughed softly. "I know how you feel." she said as she looked back up at the sky as well.

"I have to say, I'm going to remember a lot of things when my journey is done. But this is going to be one of the greatest things I'll remember the most. Because I got to watch fireworks with you."

There was a loud boom and the sky suddenly lit up in a variety of colors. The two girls watched the fireworks show silently. All the way up to the end. Once the show was finished, Shauna looked over at Natalie with a smile on her face.

"This was fun." she said, "I'm certainly not going to forget this at all."

Natalie smiled. The man, his servant, and his Furfrou suddenly entered the balcony. "Well? What did you think? Certainly fantastic, wasn't it? And to think I couldn't have found my Furfrou if it wasn't for you two!"

"I'm glad we could help sir." Natalie said, "But do you happen to know who's in charge here? I really need to ask him an important question."

"Oh? And what would that be?" the man asked.

"You see, there's a Snorlax sleeping on the bridge in Route 5." Natalie explained, "And I need to get to Camphrier Town. So I suggested these two guys that they should use a Pokeflute. But they told me that the only person they knew who had one was the guy living here. So I came here to ask if I could borrow it."

"I see." the man said. "Well it must be your lucky day, little lady, because you're talking to the guy right now."

"What!?" both Natalie and Shauna cried in unison.

The man laughed. "Yep! I get that sorta reaction from strangers on a daily basis. But since you two helped find my Furfrou. I suppose I could lend it to you."

Natalie's eyed glittered. "Really? Thank you so much, sir!" she said happily.

"Not a problem." the man said before he turned to his servant, "Go get it"

"Yes sir." the servant said before he left. A few seconds later he returned with a small glass case. He handed it to the man, who opened it in front of Natalie.

"This has been in my family for generations." he said, "Be sure to return it when you're done."

"I will." Natalie said, carefully taking the flute and placing it in her purse.

The man nodded before turning around. After watching him leave, Shauna turned to Natalie. "If he didn't charge us 1,000 poke, I would like him more." she said.

...

"Sorry it took so long." Natalie said as she handed the Pokeflute to the younger man.

"It's alright." the man replied, "It wasn't like snorlax was going anywhere."

Natalie covered her mouth to prevent a snicker from escaping. Shauna, however, burst into laughter. Literally falling to the ground and clutching her stomach. "I can't! I can't! I can't b-breathe!" she laughed. Tears trickling down her cheeks. Natalie had told her the story on their way there. So she got what he meant.

"Do you know how to play that thing?" the older man asked the younger man.

"I could try." the young man replied. Bringing the instrument close, the young man blew into it and a sweet melody started to play in the night. After the last note, the snorlax suddenly stopped its snoring and let out a loud yawn.

"Snoooooooooor."

Everyone immediately stood back as to give the large pokemon its space. The snorlax let out a loud yawn that shook the ground slightly before it scratched its belly. Everybody remained absolutely still and quiet. It wasn't wise to mess with a snorlax when it just woke up from a nap. The snorlax suddenly turned around and walked into the forest. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"At least he's gone now." Shauna said.

"That was some impressive playing you did there." a voice said.

Everyone looked over and saw the man from palace with his Furfrou trotting beside him. "That flute's been in my family for many generations." he said as he looked up at the sky. He then looked over to the young man and smiled, "But hearing you play it made me think it's in better hands now. Take care of it, alright?" and with that, he left.

"Thank you?" the young man said.

"What a weirdo." Shauna whispered to herself before turning to Natalie, "This was fun! I'm gonna be seeing you around. Later!"

Natalie watched the younger girl run across the bridge and down the path. Natalie was then approached by the older and younger man. Both had smiles on their faces.

"I can't thank you enough, young lady." the elderly man said before he turned around and left.

"Same here. Good luck on your journey." the young man said before he followed the older man out.

Natalie stood in the open. A gentle night breeze brushing against her hair soothingly. It had been a long day. Hopefully she could make it to Camphrier Town and find a place to stay for the night.

**X.X**

**Updates might take a while 'cause I have school tomorrow. **

**Crap! -_- **


	11. Chapter 11

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such ;)**

**Note: I sincerely apologise if you spot any writing errors in this chapter or the others -_- **

**X.X**

Natalie woke up with a feeling of warmth on her cheek. She cracked her eyes a bit, only to shield them with her hand from the sunlight that managed to leak through the blinds. She had been so exhausted last night, that she didn't bother to let her pokemon out or change into her pjs. As soon as she fell on the bed she was knocked out. She sat up on the bed and stretched her arms high. Hearing a few cracks and pops. After letting out a relaxed sigh. She took her three pokeballs out of her purse and let out her pokemon. They seemed happy to finally be out and able to stretch themselves.

"Sorry I didn't let you out sooner." she apologized as she fed them each a poffin. "I was very busy yesterday."

Fire Mage, Lilith, and Ariel, all gave her a happy cry. Telling her it was alright. And that they understood. Natalie smiled before embraced all of them in a hug.

"Thanks you guys." she said.

Natalie suddenly heard her Holo Cast buzzing in her purse. She went over and answered. The holo image of Professor Sycamore appeared. He had one hand on his hip and a smile on his face. "Professor Sycamore!" Natalie said, "What a surprise."

"That's not your typical 'good morning'." the professor chuckled, "But I'll let it pass. How's your pokedex coming along?"

Natalie shrugged as she sat on the edge of her bed. "Slow." she replied truthfully.

"It'll take time." Sycamore said, "Did you learn anything new on Mega Evolution?"

"No." Natalie sighed, shaking her head.

"Hmm." Sycamore then rubbed his chin and appeared to be in deep thought. "Where are you now?" he then asked.

"Camphrier Town." Natalie replied, "I'm actually on my way to Cyllage City to get my second badge."

"Cyllage City you say?" Sycamore then grinned, "I have a friend who lives in Ambrette Town who specializes in reviving fossilized pokemon."

Natalie's jaw dropped. "You're joking me." she said. She's heard of people who are actually able to revive fossilized pokemon. But she's only heard very little of it.

"Nope! They even have a cave nearby that's loaded with fossils you could find. Say, before you go to Cyllage City, why not stop by and go fossil hunting for a bit?"

"Sure!" Natalie said, "You actually got me interested now."

Sycamore laughed. "That's the spirit!" he said. "Well I best be going. Good luck!" and with that, the call ended.

Natalie smiled and shook her head. Sycamore sure is...something. Certainly not like Professor Oak. Then again, Oak is old. It would explain why his grandson, Green, is helping him out more and more. The poor guy is reaching that age. Natalie sighed softly to herself. She really did miss helping around the lab. She wondered how he's doing with her...

_Half hour later..._

Natalie put her felt hat on just as she stepped out of the hotel and into the sunlight. It felt good to be outside again. She had to admit, Camphrier Town wasn't all that impressive looking. But she loved the historical feeling it had to it. As she walked down the old path through the town, looking at various shops and cafes, she spotted a familiar round boy and a short scrawny boy sitting at a table reading a map. She grinned and approached them.

"Are you sure that's the right path?" Tierno asked Trevor.

"Positive!" Trevor replied, "Trainers have gone through this cave loads of times."

Tierno didn't look so sure. "I don't know, Trevor. With all the Zubats and all..."

"What choice do we even have, Tierno!" Trevor snapped. "With Connecting Cave currently blocked, we're going to have to either wait it out, or take the other way around."

"I think I'll wait it out." Tierno said. Trevor slumped in his seat and groaned.

"Tierno! Trevor!" Natalie called.

The boys suddenly sat up in their seats and looked over their shoulders. "N-kins!" Trevor called happily before he jumped out of his seat to greet her. Tierno was scrambling to gather up their things before running over to greet Natalie as well.

"It's been a while." Natalie said, "How's it been? How's your pokedex coming along?"

"Great!" Trevor replied with a proud grin.

"I see." Natalie chuckled before she turned to Tierno. "What about you, Tierno? How's your dance team coming along?"

"It's a working progress." Tierno panted. The trio went over to a table and resumed their small game of 'catch up' there. For Tierno's sake.

"So what are you guys up to now?" Natalie asked.

"We're trying to decide whether or not if we should take the long way to Cyllage City." Trevor answered as he put away his map.

"Hey! That's where I'm going after I do some fossil hunting in Ambrette Town." Natalie said.

"Fossil hunting? Oh yeah! They've recently found that cave that was full of fossils." Tierno said.

"Mm hm. Sycamore suggested that I do a little fossil hunting while I'm there. It actually sounds a little fun so I'm going to give it a try."

"Sounds great." Trevor said.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" a voice suddenly cried.

"Huh?" Natalie looked down the path and noticed a young woman dressed in a Pokemon Breeder's uniform. She had a look of distress in her eyes as she came running into town.

"PLEASE! Is there a pokemon trainer who knows how to swim or has a flying type with them? A Litleo got out of the daycare and is now stranded in the middle of the river! PLEASE! Is there anyone willing to help?!" the breeder cried.

Natalie gripped the strap of her purse and immediately stood up. "I'll help you, ma'm." she said, getting out of her seat.

"N-kins, are you sure?" Trevor asked.

Natalie nodded at the young boy before she followed the breeder out of the town. Both Trevor and Tierno looked at one anothet before gathering up their things and following their friend out as well.

...

Water was rushing down the river in rapid speed that only a Gyaradous could swim in. In the middle was a small rock with a young Litleo desperately trying to cling on. Natalie and the others arrived just in time.

"He's right there." the breeder said as she pointed a finger to the panicked pokemon.

"He's going to slip any second now if we don't do something!" Trevor said.

"Hmm... Trevor, do you have any rope on you?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah. I have it in case I have to climb up a mountain." Trevor replied.

"Good. We might need it."

The young Litleo cried out in fear as he felt himself slowly losing his grip on the slippery rock. Why did he let his curiosity get the better of him? Now he was going to pay the price if the humans don't do something.

"Hey. Are you alright little buddy?" a kind voice suddenly asked.

"Mew?" the young pokemon opened his and a pair of what is probably the most caring eyes he's ever seen. She held both her hands out to him and had a comforting smile on her face.

"Don't be afraid, little one. I'll keep you safe." she said.

The cub seemed a bit hesitant. But with him slipping off inch by inch, he had to trust her. Without a quick second thought, the cub jumped into the girl's arms and gripped on tightly. Natalie let out a small grunt when she felt his developing sharp nails dig into her shoulders. But not hard enough to break the skin. "Hold on tight little guy." she said between gritted teeth as she fought her way through the pounding currents.

Tierno, Trevor, and the Breeder watched anxiously as Natalie made her way back to shore; having avoided a few close calls. They all breathed a sigh of relief once she finally climbed onto shore with the help of Tierno.

"Oh! Litleo!" the breeder cried, stretching her arms out to embrace the cub. The cub let out a happy cry before he jumped into the woman's arms.

Natalie immediately grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her shivering wet body. She's had a history of getting pneumonia easily just by staying in the cold too long. So it was important that she warmed up before changing into her clothes. Of course this didn't ALWAYS happen. But it's better to be safe then sorry.

"Thank you so much." the Breeder said with a grateful smile.

"N-not a problem ma'm." Natalie replied bewteen chattering teeth.

The woman smiled and soon left for the daycare with the litleo in her arms. After she was gone both Tierno and Trevor looked over at Natalie, who was putting on her pair of dark blue jeans and her ruffled camisole.

"Wow! You were really brave out there!" Trevor said in awe as he watched her put on her right riding boot.

"It's nothing." Natalie replied as she put on her other riding boot.

"Gee. For someone who's the daughter of a ryhorn racer, you sure know how to handle a situation." Tierno added.

"Not always." Natalie chuckled as she stood up and settled her purse strap on her shoulder. "I'm going to get going though. I'm hoping I could reach Ambrette Town this evening."

"Okay. Be safe then." Trevor said.

Natalie nodded. "I will. Thanks."

**X.X**

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**I just LOVE adding my own twists to the game plot! :D **


	12. Chapter 12

**Kudos if you reviewed 'n such ;)**

**X.X**

Damn Zubats." Natalie cursed to herself after escaping another hord of them. If there's one thing she hates more then getting pneumonia, it's zubats! The young trainer was relieved when she finally reached the exit after a fourty minute walk through the cave. The scent of sea salt filled her nostrils when a breeze blew in her face. She eagerly went over to a cliff and spotted Cyllage City down below. At least she wouldn't have to travel very far after her visit to Ambrette Town. After a rather treacherous walk down the cliff face, battling a few trainers, and a pleasant walk down the beach, she reached Ambrette Town.

"Here you go, miss." Nurse Joy said as she handed back Natalie's pokeballs.

"Thanks." Natalie said as she placed her pokeballs safely in her purse. Walking out of the pokecenter she turned her attention to the large building that was nestled near a rock wall. She's seen people dressed in white coats come in an out of the building. So it was quite clear that that must be the lab. Gripping the strap of her purse, as if full of excitement, she walked towards the lab. Just as she reached the entrance...

_CRASH!_

Natalie grunted as she landed on the ground, her hat landing beside her. She propped herself up on one elbow before rubbing her head.

"Ow..." Calem groaned as he did the same. He looked up, only to meet Natalie dark brown eyes. "Sorry about that." Calem said as he helped her up.

"It's fine." Natalie giggled before she placed her hat back on. Clipping the star clipping back on. "I assume you got the message from Sycamore and decided to come fossil hunting as well?" she added.

Calem arched his brow. "How'd you guess? I assume you got the message as well?" he asked.

"I thought it would be fun."

"Well I hate to burst your bubble then." Calem added a bit seriously, "There's a problem at the cave. Glittering Cave, I think it's called?" Calem tapped his chin a bit in thought before nodding in confirmation.

"What kind of problem?" Natalie asked, tilting her head sideways slightly in curiosity.

Calem shrugged. "From what I heard: there are these people with tacky red suits who suddenly barged in and demanded that everyone leave."

"Well that's not right!" Natalie said almost a bit furiously.

"I know." Calem growled, his hands balling into fists. "Which is why I'm on my there now to go teach those red punks a lesson."

"I'm coming too." Natalie said, "I wanna give them a piece of my mind."

...

Natalie had forgotten what it was like riding on the back of a ryhorn. True, she's tried her hands in ryhorn racing back in her day, but wasn't particularly good at it. But she knew how to control them and how to give them directions. So this wasn't her first time in riding a Ryhorn to begin with. But this was certainly Calem's first time. Since there was only one ryhorn available, the two had to share. Calem gladly allowed Natalie to take control while he sat in the back.

"No offense, but is riding a ryhorn always this slow?" Calem asked. He suddenly received a snort from the ryhorn they were on, and quickly apologized. Natalie giggled.

"You have to be careful of what you say around certain pokemon." she hummed as they casually rode on like nothing happened.

Calem frowned. "Hey, I'm not the one who has a ryhorn racer as a mother." he said.

Natalie said nothing and merely patted the ryhorn's head. "Don't listen to him. He's just being a bully." she whispered to the ryhorn.

"I-wha?" Calem stammered in dismay, almost falling off the ryhorn until Natalie immediately grabbed him. "I wasn't trying to be a bully." he muttered as he adjusted himself.

Natalie merely smiled at him innocently before facing forward once more. They eventually came to spot where they could walk. "Thanks for the ride." Natalie said to the Ryhorn as she patted his head. The ryhorn gave her a happy snort in reply.

"Seriously. You gotta tell me why you're so good with pokemon." Calem said as he watched her with crossed arms.

"Again. I guess it's a gift I have." Natalie replied as she stood up.

"Hm." Calem gave her a sly smile before the two made their way to the cave entrance. A crowd of a workers and eager fossil hunters stood outside talking to one another as they waited for any news on the people in red.

"Who do you think they are?" a fossil hunter asked.

"Could they be a new Team Magma or something?" a worker asked.

"Nah. Team Magma was a ground type team from what I remember." another worker answered.

Questions among questions as to who the mysterious group could continued to be passed along to one another. Both Natalie and Calem didn't stop to ask for themselves as they pushed their way through the crowd. Everyone was so busy talking with one another that no one even seemed to noticed them enter the cave. Inside, there was a emerald green light that seemed to light up the cave. Revealing all sorts of paths leading in many directions.

"Wow." Natalie said softly as she looked around the cave, "Isn't it beautiful in here?"

Calem could've sworn he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Natalie's eyes. The luminous moss on the walls seemed to reflect off them. Almost creating a green glitter in her dark eyes. "Yeah." he said, "But we should probably get going. Let's find those guys and get out of here before I begin to lose my mind."

The two stuck close together as they made their way through the freshly made tunnels. Running into wild pokemon now and then while ending up in dead ends. It was pain staking process to try and navigate through the bright lights. Natalie prayed that they didn't get lost already. But who knows how long they've been walking?

"What time is it?" Calem yawned.

"I have no idea." Natalie sighed. The sudden sound of pebbles hitting against the stone floor suddenly caught their attention. The two looked up just in time to hear someone curse. The two looked at each other before they cautiously made their way down the direction they heard the noise from. They finally found another entrance and peeked in to see shadows of people against the cave wall.

"Come on! Let's get these fossils out of here already! This place is driving me a bit nuts!" a man yelled.

"Why don't you stop your complaining and help us out already!" another grunted.

Natalie and Calem peeked in a bit more. They spotted two men, dresses in red suits. Natalie quickly caught her breath, not wanting to alert them of their presence. Calem wasn't having much luck, however. He suddenly felt that tingling feeling in his nose. The one you would get when you needed to sneeze. Calem was having that feeling. He desperately did his best to hold it in. Natalie eyed him anxiously, praying that he wouldn't do it. Finally, Calem let out a sigh of relief when he felt the feeling go away. But he was terribly mistaken when he suddenly let out a loud sneeze that seemed to echo throughout the tunnels.

"What the hell?" one of the men dressed in red said as he looked around.

"There!" his companion yelled as he pointed a finger at Calem and Natalie.

"Hey! What the hell are you two doing here!? This isn't a playground for kids, you know!"

Calem and Natalie, feeling a bit offended that they were called kids, came out of their hiding place and stood their ground with angry expressions on their faces.

"Who are you calling kids!?" Calem yelled, "We're pokemon trainers!"

"Poke... WHAAAAAAAAAAA!" one of the men screamed in fear before running out like a zubat out of hell.

"Hey!" Calem quickly turned to Natalie, "I'll go after him. You take care of this one."

"Right." Natalie said before watching him chase after the man.

"So!" the remaining grunt said with crossed arms and a smirk on his face. "You kids call yourselves pokemon trainers?"

Natalie glared at the man and clenched her hands into angry fists. "You got a problem with that?" she hissed.

The grunt threw his head back and laughed mockingly. "We'll see with that!" he swiftly brought out a pokeball from his belt; his red shades flashing as a evil smile curled up on his lips. "You've picked a bad time messing with Team Flare! Go! Houndour!" A black and red dog suddenly appeared from the pokeball and gave Natalie a vicious snarl.

Natalie brought out her own pokeball and threw it in the air. "Go! Fire Mage!" she cried.

Fire Mage let out a yip as he stood proudly at his opponent. But started to feel a bit nervous when he noticed that his opponent was slightly bigger then him. And far more aggressive then the other pokemon he's battled. "This one's...not normal." he whispered to himself.

"Oi! Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to give me a damn fight!?" the houndour shouted aggressively.

"Houndour! Use bite!" the grunt demaned.

"Dodge, Fire Mage!" Natalie cried.

Fire Mage quickly jumped out of the way, feeling the vicious pair of sharp teeth graze against his tail slightly. "Good! Now use tackle!" Fire Mage tackled the black dog head first, causing him to almost fall on his side.

"Not bad! For a kid." the grunt sneered, "Use flamethrower!"

A blast of fire suddenly shot out of the houndour's mouth and struck Fire Mage. But thankfully, it had no effect. Natalie smirked at how stupid the grunt was. He should _know _that a fire type move would do no good against a fire type pokemon like fennekin.

"Use ember on houndour!" she yelled.

Fire Mage nodded and struck the black dog with shots of fire from his mouth. Natalie knew very well that houndour was also a fire type. But she also knew that houndour was also a dark type. The attack might not be super effective, but it could do a good amount of damage.

"You little brat!" the grunt yelled as he watched his houndour struggle to stand on all fours. "Give him all you got, houndour!" he roared. The black dog howled before he started attacking Fire Mage over and over again with multiple bites.

"Fire Mage!" Natalie watched helplessly as her pokemon was slowing being defeated. Oh! If only she caught a damn water type before all this! Now her pokemon was paying the terrible price for her ignorance. Fire Mage, however, refused to go give.

Despite being weak and injured, he managed to stand his ground. "I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!" he howled. Just then, the fennekin's body was enveloped in a white, blinding, light.

"Huh?" Natalie said as she watched the event before her; while both the grunt and his pokemon gasped in horror. Fire Mage slowly stood on both of his back legs, and his back straightened out. A twig suddenly appeared on his still bushy tail. Once the light disappeared, Fire Mage snapped his eyes open and let out a cry. "What are you?" Natalie said in awe as she brought out her pokedex.

**'Braixen: the fox pokemon. When the twig is plucked from its tail, friction sets the twig alight. The flame is used to send signals to its allies.'**

Fire Mage looked over his shoulder and gave Natalie an assuring smile. Natalie blinked before smiling as well. "Let's do this! Use ember!" she cried. Fire Mage let out a cry before he plucked the twig from his tail and waved it directly at the still stunned houndour. The black dog let out a cry as the small flames bit him before he fell to the ground. Fainting.

"No!" the grunt cried as he grasped both sides of his head.

"Yes! Good work Fire Mage!" Natalie cried happily. Fire Mage gave his trainer a happy bark before he was returned to his pokeball.

The grunt growled dangerously. "No matter. Go! Zubat!" he roared as he threw a second pokeball in the air.

"Kekek!" the zubat screeched as it hovered above the ground.

Natalie smirked. "Go! Lilith!"

"Pika! Pika!" the pikachu cried as she landed before her opponent.

The grunt then let out a horrified gasp as he watched the yellow pokemon K.O. his zubat. "No!" he cried as he fell on his knees, "This isn't good! This is definitely not fabulous!"

Natalie smiled victoriously as she returned her pokemon back to her pokeball. The grunt growled as he returned his fainted zubat. "This isn't the last you've heard from me!" he yelled before scurrying out. Natalie stood there. Dumbfounded.

_Team Flare_? she thought to herself. The name kinda reminded her of Team Rocket. Except Team Rocket didn't wear tacky red suits, have red hair, and wore red shades. Clenching her hand into a fist, she marched forward and walked down the trail of mine cart tracks. On the walls, emerald and sapphire gems glowed. She wondered as to why this Team Flare group would be doing in this cave? Calem did mention something about them wanting the fossils...

_Calem_! Natalie wondered if her friend was alright. Then again, Calem is a strong guy. If these grunts are that easy to beat, the she's sure Calem could handle it as well. Natalie continued on until she heard voices once more. This time of a man and woman talking.

"You're joking?" the woman asked in dismay, "A _child _did this to your pokemon?"

"Yes!" the man replied. "I didn't think she would be that strong!"

"Hmp. I'll see for myself when I see her." the woman said distastefully.

"_Ahem_."

"Huh?" both the grunts said unison as they looked over.

"Gah!" the male grunt cried, "That's her! That's the one I was telling you about!"

"_Her_?" the woman asked her companion in dismay. "You lost to _her_? Ha! She's not even dresses stylish! Unlike us."

"Why are you guys here?" Natalie demanded as she slowly approached them.

"We're here to find us some rare fossils so we could sell them for some good cash." the female grunt said as she brought out a pokeball, "And we're not letting anyone get in our way. Go! Scraggy!"

A yellow dinosaur like pokemon appeared from the pokeball and glared at Natalie. Natalie clenched her hand in frustration. Her pokemon had only recently fought. Normally she would let them rest up a bit before going into another battle. She knew Fire Mage needed his rest, so it would mean that she would have to send out Lilith instead.

"Go! Lilith!" she cried. Lilith let out a cry as she stood before her opponent.

"Scraggy! Rock smash!" the female grunt yelled.

"Pika!" Lilith cried before she landed on her side. Static started to develop near Lilith's red cheeks. Without warning, she suddenly jumped up, and, using all the power she had, created an electric ball of electricity and shot it at the scraggy.

_That's electro ball! _Natalie thought in surprise.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the female grunt gasped in horror as she fell on her. Watching her scraggy fall to the ground, fainted. "Y-you are strong!" she said. Growling, she returned her pokemon and helped herself up. "Let's get the others and get the hell out of here! We got enough fossils."

Natalie watched the two grunts disappear into a different part of the cave. She returned Lilith to her pokeball and smiled at it before placing it back in her purse.

"Natalie?"

Natalie turned around and gasped softly. "Calem!" the two ran over to eachother. "Are you alright?" Natalie asked softly.

Calem nodded. "I managed to beat the snot out of that guy. But he got away." he said.

"They all did." Natalie added, "But I'm glad you're alright."

Calem smiled, "Same here."

"H-hello?" a voice suddenly asked from one of the tunnels. "Who's there? Are you one of them? Are they gone?" the voice sounded rather nervous and hesitant. Calem and Natalie looked at one another.

"Who you think it is?" Natalie whispered to Calem.

"I don't know." Calem replied, "Let me do the talking." Calem then took a few steps forward towards the tunnel entrance. "It's alright! They're gone!" he said.

A head sudden poked out of the tunnel entrance. A man probably around Sycamore's age. Or older. In his hands he clutched a touchpad tightly and grasped it against his labcoat. "Oh! Thank Arceus." he sighed in relief as he walked out. "They've been here for hours! I was beginning to worry they would never leave."

Natalie chuckled. "Well, you won't have to worry about them anymore." she said with a smile.

"Was it you two who sent them packing? Thank you both so much! I don't know how I could ever repay you both."

Calem held up his hand and shook his head. "There's no need to repay us, sir." he said.

"Oh! But I must! I know! Why don't you each pick a fossil?" the man suddenly reached into his bag and brought out two fossils. One of a sail, and the other was a jaw. "This is the Sail Fossil, and the other, the Jaw Fossil. Feel free to pick which one you want."

"You should pick first, Natalie." Calem said, "If it weren't for you and your pokemon, those people would still be here much longer."

Natalie smiled at her neighbor. "Thank you, Calem." she said before turning her attention to the fossils. She then took the Sail Fossil from the man. "I like this one." she said.

The man nodded before handing Calem the Jaw fossil. "Now let's get out of here. I could use some fresh air right now." the man said.

**X.X**

**Long...chapter o_o**


	13. Chapter 13

**X.X**

Both Calem and Natalie's pokemon gathered around Fire Mage and stared at him in awe and wonder. It felt a little weird to him, though. He wondered if this is what human celebrities feel when surrounded by their fans?

"What's it like?" Ariel asked.

Fire Mage shrugged. "A little weird, to tell you the truth." he replied.

"Did it hurt?" Calem's Espurr asked next.

"Nah. I felt nothing. It's like I was never a fennekin to begin with. Like I always walked on two legs and had a twig in my tail."

"Well congratulations on achieving evolution." Calem's Froakie congratulated.

Fire Mage smiled at his smaller rival. "Thanks. I wish you luck in evolving as well." the fox replied with a slight bow.

"Boy...I can't wait to evolve too." Ariel said almost shyly as he hugged his tail closely. He offend dreamt of evolving into Charmeleon. And then a Charizard. It's practically every charmander's dream to become a ferocious charizard and fly through the clouds with massive wings. He suddenly felt a gentle paw on his shoulder.

"Don't worry! You'll get your chance. We all will!" Lilith said with a smile. The other pokemon nodded in unison. The lab doors suddenly hissed open; they all looked over to see their trainers enter the room.

"Well everyone! Get ready to meet the newest member of the family." Natalie told her pokemon as she held the pokeball that contained the newly revived pokemon in. The pokemon watched anxiously as she pressed her finger on the center of the capsule before it automatically snapped open. A white light appeared before a four-legged pokemon with a long neck and sails that seemed to change color rising up from it's big blue eyes. The pokemon let out a cry that seemed to echo ever so softly.

"Everyone! Meet Ocean Aurora." Natalie said proudly, "Ocean Aurora! Meet your new family."

The pokemon all inched a bit closer to the small dinosaur curiously. Ocean Aurora looked over his shoulder and gave his trainer an uneasy look. But Natalie merely gave him an encouraging smile. Finally, Ariel mustered up enough courage and walked a bit closer to the pokemon. Close enough to get a good sniff of him. His scent was odd. Almost unfamiliar.

"H-hello." Ariel greeted a bit nervously.

"Hi..." Ocean Aurora replied shyly, his colorful sails turning into a light shade of blue.

"It's good to take things slow." Calem told Natalie, who nodded in agreement. "But I'm going to get going now. It was great catching up with you."

"Same here." Natalie smiled.

Calem smiled back before he returned his pokemon to their pokeballs. After bidding Natalie one last goodbye, the young man left the lab. Natalie sighed before she looked over to her own pokemon and smiled.

_That night..._

"Today was certainly a rush..." Natalie laughed softly as she brushed her short, wavy black hair.

Fire Mage yipped in agreement. His fellow pokemon friends curled up around him. Although it felt a bit chilly with Ocean Aurora pressing up against his warm body. Is he and ice type, perhaps?

Natalie placed her small brush back in her purse before walking over to her bed and tucking in for the night. "Goodnight you guys." she yawned as she switched the lamp off. Her pokemon purred in reply before falling asleep. Natalie smiled sleepily at them as she watched. Slowly nodding off until she fell asleep as well.

...

The scent of sea water was the first thing that greeted Natalie when once she stepped out of the Aquarium and onto Route 8. Natalie honestly couldn't remember the last time she had been on the beach. Let alone swim in one. She did remember going to the Seafoam Islands back in Kanto as a child. But that was a long time ago. The waters were a crystal clear blue that glittered under the sunlight. The sand itself was white and looked very soft.

Natalie had to try and ignore the urge to just change into her swimsuit and take a quick dip. But she had a busy schedule to tend to. She really wanted to get all the badges. Perhaps after the Pokemon League, she could come here with her pokemon and have a nice vacation. Natalie was looking forward to it already. She continued to walk down the beach beside the waves that would quickly come to shore before slowly retreating back.

Cyllage City wasn't that far away. So she got there in a good ten minutes. Since she didn't battle any trainers during the way, she didn't need to stop at the pokecenter to heal. But it was noon, and she could really use some lunch. After buying a fruit sandwich, yes, fruit, she got her pokemon out and gave them their lunch as well. They all decided to have lunch by the beach. Natalie was sitting on the steps with her hat beside her while her pokemon ate on the sand.

"Try not to eat too fast, Lilith." Natalie reminded.

"Pika pi." Lilith sighed. She hated it when her trainer caught her. It's not easy having a big appetite!

Natalie swallowed before speaking again. "I'm only doing this because I don't want you getting sick." the young woman said gently. Lilith looked up at her trainer, blinked, before licking her cheek and giving her an understanding nod. Natalie smiled.

A large gust of wind suddenly hit them without warning. Everyone had to cover their eyes just to prevent any sand from getting in them. But the wind managed to pick up Natalie's hat and caused it to go flying. "My hat!" she cried before running after it. Her pokemon quickly ran after her. Natalie's eyes didn't leave her hat one bit as she ran. Even if it wasn't good for her health to be running very fast. But that hat meant a lot to her...

_Flashback..._

_Eleven year old Natalie eagerly tore the wrapping paper off the box like a Sandrew on steroids. Her parents watched eagerly as she removed the top and tossed it aside. Natalie's face beamed joyfully when she reached in and pulled out the dark blue felt hat with silver star clippings. _

_"Wow! Thanks daddy!" she said happily as she placed it on her head. Although it sunk in a bit because the hat itself was a tad bit too big for someone her age. Her father chuckled. _

_"Now when you go on your own journey, you'll have this hat to keep your head dry." he said._

_Flashback ends..._

Natalie picked up speed. She must get her hat back at all costs! Her pokemon were desperately trying to catch up with their trainer. But she was too damn fast! In the current speed she was going, she could outrun any ryhorn racer! Natalie blindly left the beach and the town itself and ran into the nearby forest. There her hat got caught on a branch. Natalie and her pokemon stopped in front of the tree to catch their breath. Natalie looked over to her pokemon, seeing them all look exhausted.

"Sorry...guys..." she panted. Her pokemon raised made weak, exhausted cries in reply. After catching her breath, Natalie began to climb the large tree and retrieve her hat. Her pokemon watched nervously and anxiously. Praying to Arceus himself that she wouldn't slip and fall. When Natalie reached the branch that had her hat, she carefully climbed on it and slowly snaked her way over. When she couldn't get any closer, she stretched her long, slim arm out. The tips of her fingers just barely touched the curve. She gasped when the hat suddenly fell from the branch.

Fire Mage immediately jumped up and caught it with both of his paws and gave Natalie an assuring yip. Natalie chuckled. "Thanks!" she called before she slowly made her way down. Once her feet touched the ground she immediately ran over to Fire Mage and gave him a grateful hug.

"I'm so sorry I had to put you guys through this." she said as she dusted her hat before adjusting it back on her head.

"It's alright..." Fire Mage murmured.

"We're fine." Ariel added. Even though they knew she couldn't understand them.

Just then, the sound of rustling leaves caught their attention. They swivled their heads to the right and spotted a bush shaking violently. Natalie and her pokemon immediately inched closer to one another. With Fire Mage standing protectively in front of them.

"E-eeeeee." a weak cry left the bush.

"Huh?" Natalie said.

The bush shook one last time before a furry light brown pokemon weakly crawled itself out. The pokemon had dark eyes and a very furry white neck. He suddenly fell to the ground. Not caring if there was a human in front of him.

Natalie gasped in horror before she ran over and scooped the badly beaten up pokemon in her arms. Her other pokemon joined in as well. Natalie knew what this pokemon was. It was an Eevee. It was very rare to find one like this living in the wild. Making them one of the rarest pokemon alive. But why was this one so beat up?

"You poor thing." Natalie said as she cradled the pokemon in her arms, "We gotta get you to the pokecenter ASAP! Come on guys!"

Her pokemon nodded before they all ran out of the forest.

...

Natalie sat in one of the chairs that were available in the lobby of the pokecenter. Around her, various trainers with their pokemon. Even though the Eevee she found was still "wild", that didn't mean Nurse Joy wouldn't help. No. Nurse Joy will help any kind of pokemon in need. That's why she, along with all of her identical cousins, are beloved by all trainers. Natalie quickly got out of her chair once she saw Nurse Joy and ran over to her.

"How is he Nurse Joy?" she asked worriedly.

Joy gave her an assuring smile. "He's doing fine now. But he was terrible beaten up. Whoever or whatever attacked this poor pokemon must've packed a massive punch on him. If you hadn't found him sooner... I don't know what would've happened."

Natalie placed her hand over her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "When can I see him?" she then asked.

"You can see him right now if you'd like. But he's still sleeping so I advised that you keep quiet."

"I will."

**X.X**

**Would you believe me if I told you that I had TWO eevees in my party? I DID! And this eevee is only one of them :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**X.X**

Natalie lost track of how long she had been sitting in the room with in front of her. Curled up on the bed sleeping. The eevee hardly stirred whenever there was a noise. She gussed that whatever beating he went through, it must've taken a lot out of him. It wasn't until supper time, when she was feeding her pokemon, that the eevee finally opened his eyes.

"W-where?" he asked softly as he slowly regained his senses.

Natalie and her pokemon froze. Eevees were known to be scared very easily. One false move and they could have a problem on their hands. Considering that the eevee hasn't fully recovered from his injuries. Eevee blinked a few times before his vision finally settled. His long ears suddenly perked up in alarm when he didn't recognize where he was and started to panic.

"WHERE AM I!? WHERE'S MY SISTER! SIS! SIS!" he cried. Obviously in complete panic mode.

"H-hey! Calm down!" Natalie, not understanding what he just said, desperately tried to sound gentle and less menacing. But this only frightened the eevee more. He jumped off the bed and rapidly scurried over to the other end of the room and pressed himself against the corner.

"S-STAY AWAY! DON'T COME NEAR ME! STAY AWAY!" he cried.

Instead of Natalie, it was Fire Mage who approached him. "Calm down. We're not going to hurt you." Fire Mage said in the gentliest tone he could do.

The eevee whimpered. Lilith scurried over and stood beside her friend. "Yeah! We're only trying to help you!" Lilith said a little too harshly. Eevee winced.

"I-I don't even know you! Who are you!? Are you one of THEM!? WHERE'S MY SISTER!" the eevee screamed. To Natalie, it sounded like a scream.

"Part of who?" Ariel asked as he approached them as well, hugging his tail.

"THEM!" eevee hissed, "The humans in red!" Fire Mage and Lilith both gasped in realization. They looked at one another with horrified looks.

"What's wrong?" Ocean Aurora asked quietly, still pretty new to his surroundings.

Fire Mage approached the eevee a bit closer. "What happened?" he asked, "Tell us."

The eevee eyed him warily and suspiciously. He was very aware of the human standing behind them. But she didn't look like the ones who attacked him and his brethren. Not even close. "M-my twin sister and I were at a pond with some friends." he explained, "But out of nowhere, these humans attacked us! They were all dressed in a blazing red color and used their pokemon to round us up and cage us! My sister and I managed to escape but we got separated during a chase. I was attacked but I managed to escape. But my sister..."

Natalie watched silently. She wished she knew what they were saying! She wanted to help this pokemon but can't understand a single word!

"I gotta go back!" the eevee cried, "I gotta save my sister and my brethren from those horrible humans!"

Fire Mage looked at the eevee and gave him a firm nod. He then looked over his shoulder and at his trainer, who was oblivious to a word they were saying. He knew attempting to tell her would be useless. But he had an idea.

"Fire Mage?" Natalie asked as she watched her partner run over to her purse and rummage through it until her brought out the map her mother had given her before she left. Fire Mage managed to unscroll the map and point at Route 10. Natalie knelt down on one knee and looked at the map and the up at Fire Mage. "You want to go to Route 10?" she asked.

Fire Mage bobbed his head.

"Is something going on there? Did the eevee tell you something?"

Fire Mage bobbed his head again.

Natalie nodded. "Alright then. Let's get ready."

...

Natalie followed the eevee through the forest of Route 10. The small pokemon would stop once in a while and look back to see if Natalie was still behind. It wasn't until the sound of harsh voices did they stop dead in their tracks. Eevee raised both his ears high up and listened in. He automatically turned his head to the right and yipped at Natalie to follow him.

The two trecked through large brush until they spotted a clearing with vehicles and people dressed in red walking around. They both hid behind a bush when a grunt walked by. Natalie then recognized the insignia on the driver's door of one of the vehicles.

_Damn it. It's those guys again, _she thought. Shock and horror suddenly filled her when she spotted a large cage filled with eevees on the back of one of the trucks.

"This should be enough." one of the grunts said smugly as they looked at the caged eevees.

"Yeah. People are going to pay a fortune for one of these guys." the other said.

Rage and disgust filled Natalie. Her blood boiled as she tempted to just jump out and kick all of them in the ass. But she knew she had to take things slow. One of the eevees in the cage suddenly raised their when they noticed the tips of tan ears sticking out from behind a bush. The eevee stood up on her hind legs, her paws pressing against the unforgiving cold metal of the cage bars.

"B-b-BROTHER!" she cried.

"Huh?" the eevee poked his head back up and spotted his twin sister. "S-SIS!" he cried happily. Without thinking, he jumped out of his hiding spot and ran over to the truck.

"Hey! Wait!" Natalie cried as she got up and ran after the eevee.

"Hey! What are you doing here!?" one of the grunts roared. Unlike the others, this one was bald. And appeared to be wearing a high-collared white coat of sorts. With matching white pants. His shades flashed angrily at Natalie as the other grunts surrounded her.

"Aw, crap." she muttered to herself. Acting upon instinct, she brought her pokeball and unleashed Fire Mage from it. One of the grunts threw his own pokeball in the air and called out his houndour.

"Houndour! Use bite!" the grunt yelled.

"Dodge and use tackle!" Natalie yelled.

Fire Mage quickly jumped out of the way and tackled the black dog. Houndour skidded back, causing some dirt to fly. The black dog growled dangerously at Natalie and Fire Mage. Fire Mage was about to growl back when he spotted Eevee getting cornered by some other grunts. He yipped at Natalie and pointed at the scene. Natalie gasped softly before she brought out another pokeball.

"You go help him. Ariel and I will take care of things from here." she said. Fire Mage nodded before he dashed over to Eevee's aid. "Go! Ariel!" Natalie yelled. Ariel let out his cry before landing on the battlefield.

Eevee's tail was tucked between his legs as the grunts and their pokemon slowly cornered him against a tree.

"Come here you little troublemaker!" one of the grunts sneered. The grunt's houndour lunged at the eevee, but was suddenly stopped by an unknown force. A purplish pink aura surrounded the terrified pokemon as he hovered above the ground. Even the grunts were surprised. Eevee looked over to see the source. Fire Mage had his twig in his hand, and was some how using psychic on the black dog. Not attacking him. But stopping him.

"I-I can't hold him much l-longer." Fire Mage said between gritted teeth. This was the first time he was using a psychic ability. And it was taking a lot out of him. "R-run."

Eevee immediately ran away just as the houndour fell flat on his belly. The grunts were still confused and shocked by what just happened that none of them attempted to catch the eevee. Eevee ran over to Fire Mage, who was on one knee panting.

"Are you okay?" Eevee asked.

"Yeah." Fire Mage replied. "Let's go find your sister."

Ariel skidded back on his feet after another attack from the opposing houndour. "Ariel, use ember!" Natalie yelled. Ariel did what he was told and the houndour fainted on the ground. The grunt who had him fell on his bottom and hung his head in defeat.

"You're so weak." another grunt said cruelly before he brought out two pokeballs and threw them in the air. "Go! Scraggy and Zubat!" he yelled.

Natalie returned Ariel to his pokeball and brought out Lilith and Ocean Aurora next. "Lilith! Use electro ball on zubat! Ocean Aurora! Use ice beam on scraggy!"

Both pokemon nodded in unison before they preformed the moves. Zubat easily fell from the electric type move. But scraggy didn't go down so easily. "Scraggy! Use headbutt!" the grunt yelled.

Ocean Aurora let out a cry when he was struck by the move and landing on his side. The dinosaur weakly pushed himself back up. "Ocean Aurora!" Natalie cried. Her eyes then narrowed at the grunt and his scraggly angrily. "Lilith! Use thundershock on scraggy!"

"PikaaaaaaaCHUUUUUUUU!"

"SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" the scraggy cried painfully as the electricity struck him before falling to the ground. Fainted.

"Wha!? How did-!?" the grunt fell speechless. "I lost to a damn kid!" he yelled.

Natalie returned Ocean Aurora to his pokeball, since he was close to fainting, but kept Lilith out. Lilith still had some strength in her left for another battle.

Eevee and Fire Mage dashed by the remaining grunts until they reached the back of the truck that contained all the captured eevees. "Brother!" the female cried as she wagged her tail happily.

"Sis!" the eevee said happy when he finally reached the cage, "Don't worry. We're going to get you all out."

Fire Mage stepped forward, his twig still in his paw. "Stand back, everyone." he ordered. With a swing of his twig, he shot a quick blast of fire at the keypad. Causing it to static and malfunction a bit before going out. There was a beep and the cage was unlocked. All of the eevees immediately stormed out happily.

"Brother!" the femaled cried as she ran up to him and the two nuzzled one another. It was a sweet, tearful reunion between siblings. The female then looked up at Fire Mage and approached him. "Thank you." she said with a grateful smile. The braixen smiled and nodded.

"Lilith!" Natalie cried as her pokemon collapsed on the ground. Dangerously close to fainting. The opponent, this time, was another electric type known as Electrike. Natalie was starting to think that she wouldn't win this one. Ocean Aurora was close to fainting, and she didn't want to risk losing Ariel. _Fire Mage! Where are you when I need you!? _

"EEVEE!" a loud cry came out of nowhere.

The grunts looked over and were suddenly horrified when they saw all of the eevees they had captured glaring at them angrily. All of which had a look of vengeance in their eyes. Before they had a chance to react, they were suddenly hit with multiple rounds of the move Swift.

"Let's get out of here!" the admin yelled. Everyone ran back to the trucks and drove out of there. All of the eevees cried happily. Some jumping for joy.

Natalie laughed happily. Even Lilith laughed. "Fire Mage!" Natalie cried when she spotted her partner among the crowd of eevees. The two embraced one another. "I'm so glad you're okay." she whispered.

"Eevee. Eevee!" one of the eevees cried.

Natalie and her two remaining pokemon looked over and spotted the twins smiling at them. Natalie smiled when she finally got the picture. "You know this one?" she asked the male eevee. The male eevee nodded. "I see."

This time, the female eevee stepped forward. "Eevee! Eevee!" she gestured her head over to the Lilith's pokeball that she had in her hand. Natalie looked over at her pokeball and then back at the twins.

"You two want to come along?" she asked.

"Eevee! Eevee!" both eevees cried happily in unison.

Natalie smiled. "Alright then." she reached into her purse and brought out two pokeballs. Without second thought, she opened both capsules and both eevees went in. Natalie stared at the center until a _ding _was heard. "I'm going to call the male Star Dancer. And the female, Moon Dancer." she said.

...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FAILED!?" a harsh, femme voice snapped.

The admin and the grunts flinched. "We had them!" the admin explained, "But the same kid from the cave came by again!"

"Are you saying you allowed yourselves to get you asses whooped by a mere _girl_?" another femme voice asked slowly.

"No!" the admin protested.

"Try telling that to the boss, then." a third femme voice giggled.

"He's not very happy about your progress." a fourth voice added.

The admin and the grunts gulped.

"Ho! Ho! You better go! You don't wanna keep him waiting!" an eerily cheery male voice said. Soon followed by eerie laughter that echoed throughout the dark room...

**X.X**

**I should have you know. Moon Dancer is actually my Sylveon. And Star Dancer is my Vaporeon. Of course this isn't how I really got them. ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**X.X**

That night, Natalie and her pokemon slept like a rock. Exhausted by the events of that day. The next day was the day that Natalie would finally challenge the Cyllage City Gym leader, Grant, for her second badge. Although she felt a little nervous as she stepped through the gym doors. Considering that she had no water or grass type pokemon with. And with the addition of Moon Dancer and Star Dancer, it didn't help either. She gripped the strap of her purse tightly and calmly approached the battle area. Standing across from her was a dark skinned man dressed in a very dark brown long-sleeved shirt with a pair of white pants and brown hiking shoes. He also appeared to have some kind of jewels in his rock looking hair.

"I've been waiting in eager anticipation!" was the first thing he said to her, "What have I been waiting for? For a worthy challenger to appear! It's quite an achievement to have made it this far. Very impressive, actually! I have a feeling that our battle will turn out to be worth the wait! I hope you'll show me that your skill as a trainer surpasses even mine."

He then reached into his pockets and threw out a pokeball. An Amaura cried once it was out. Natalie smiled and brought out Ariel's pokeball. "Go! Ariel!" she cried. Ariel let out a cry before landing infront of Natalie.

"A charmander, I see." Grant said, "Are you sure that's a wise decision?"

"I'm positive." Natalie replied.

Grant smiled. "Amaura! Use Rock Tomb!"

Amaura let out a cry before it preformed the move. Natalie was helpless to do anything as she watched her pokemon receive great amounts of damage. Maybe it was a bad idea to pull Ariel out. The red lizard weakly pushed himself back to his feet. He refused to be defeated!

"Ariel! Use ember!" Ariel let out a roar before unleashing a sudden shot of fire. This greatly affected the amaura. Because amaura was both a rock and ice type.

"Amaura! Use rock tomb once more!"

"Dodge! Ariel!" Natalie cried. Knowing that another hit could end it. Unfortunately, Ariel was quick enough, and got hit hard. "ARIEL!"

Amazingly, Ariel refused to give him. He pushed himself up and glared at amaura. He was then surrounded by a white light and his entire body started to change. "Chameleon!" Ariel cried once he was finished.

"Charmeleon! I know this pokemon!" Natalie said happily. Ariel smiled at his trainer before releasing a sudden blast of firr. Amaura let out one last cry before fainting on the floor.

"Amaura!" Grant gasped.

"Alright! Good job, Ariel!" Natalie said happily.

"Char! Char!" Ariel replied happily before he was returned to his pokeball.

Grant returned his amaura to his pokeball and smiled at it. "Not bad! But it's not over yet! Go! Tyrunt!" he threw his pokeball in the air and a small brown big-jawed dinosaur appeared before Natalie.

"Go! Moon Dancer!" she cried.

"Eevee! Eevee!" Moon Dancer cried before landing.

"This should be easy. Tyrunt! Use bite!" Grant yelled.

The tyrunt then opened his massive jaws, revealing a row of scary looking teeth. Moon Dancer let out a terrified cry before running around the battlefield. This was her first time in a Gym battle. So it was quite obvious she would be scared.

"Calm down, Moon Dancer!" Natalie cried, "Just use double team!"

Moon Dancer suddenly stopped. Of course! Why didn't she think of it before? Tyrunt was taken by surprise when multiple Moon Dancers suddenly appeared and surrounded him.

"Now attack him with swift!"

The eevees unleashed a non-stop attack of stars upon the helpless dinosaur. "Tyrunt! Preform rock tomb on all of them!" he heard his trainer yell. The brown dinosaur let out a roar before preforming the effective move. The real Moon Dancer let out a cry as she skidded across the floor.

"Moon Dancer!" Natalie cried.

Moon Dancer attempted to get up. But instead she fainted. Natalie sighed before smiling at her pokemon. "It's ok. Return!" Moon Dancer was soon returned to the safety of her pokeball. "Go! Fire Mage!"

Fire Mage let out a yip once he was released from his pokeball. "Quick! Use Psybeam!" Natalie yelled. If she recalled yesterday, she could've sworn she saw him use a psychic ability. Fire Mage brought out his twig and immediately struck tyrunt with a wave of psychic energy. The tyrunt let out a cry before he fainted on the floor.

"Tyrunt is unable to battle! Fire Mage wins!" the ref yelled.

"Yes!" Natalie cried happily, "We did it! We actually did it!" she and Fire Mage hugged. Natalie was so happy that she practically picked up the fox and twirled around a bit.

"There are some things that seem out of reach no matter how hard you try." Grant said as he walked up to them with a small glass case, "However, it's important that you never give up-no matter the opponent or the odds. I could tell from our battle that you and your pokemon understand that. To commemorate such an impressive show of teamwork, please accept the Cliff Badge!"

Grant opened the small case, revealing a unique looking badge that was colored in different shades of brown. Natalie happily took the badge and placed it in her case. Two down. Six more to go.

...

To Natalie, it felt good to be back on the road. Especially through a nice wooden area like Route 10. It was late in the afternoon as she walked down the path. Running into trainers eager for a battle now and then. She didn't mind it at all really. It helped her and her pokemon grow stronger. And closer.

"Huh?"

The young woman stopped when she suddenly came across these tall, stone ruins that were spread out all around a clearing. She approched one of the rocks and placed her hand on it. And odd feeling enveloped her. "_Deja vu_..." she murmured to herself as she rubbed the smooth wall slowly. She had no idea what made her think this, but she had a gut feeling that she's been here before. Was it...from a past life? No. Natalie chuckled to herself at the idea. She wasn't the type to believe in past lives. But her mind was open to the idea.

Removing her hand from the rock she continued her way down the path until she arrived at a small village. Natalie stopped in front of some ruins in the center. Now she was getting a bigger case of _deja vu_. She got a little closer until the shadows of the arched rocks towered her. Why is she getting this feeling that she's been here before? Her train of thought suddenly came to halt when a loud voice called her.

"N-kins!"

Natalie turned around to see Shauna running up to her. And not just Shauna. But Calem as well. Natalie laughed as she went over to greet them. "Well isn't this a surprise?" she said.

"We're surprised as well." Shauna said.

"We saw you from the cafe and decided to drop by and say hi." Calem added.

"Thanks." Natalie said.

"Aren't these ruins just amazing?" Shauna sighed dreamily as she approached the pillars. "I've visited Geosenge Town ever since I was a little girl with my family. I was always fascinated with the ruins here." she placed her hand on one of the pillars and looked back at Natalie and Calem. "It's believed that these ruins could possibly date back all the way to the Great War of Kalos!"

"There was a war here?" Natalie asked.

"A long time ago, there was." Calem said, "But I didn't really pay much attention in history class."

"What!?" Shauna gasped in dismay, punching Calem's arm. "The Great War is part of Kalos's history! I should know because one of my descendants fought in it!"

"WHAT!?" Natalie and Calem cried in unison.

Shauna crossed her arms and nodded proudly. "Yep! My family on both my mother's and father's side lived in Kalos even before the war!"

"Wow! That's amazing!" Natalie said.

"I know." Shauna replied with a grin.

"FINALLY!" a voice cried.

Calem, Natalie, and Shauna looked over to the town entrance. Tierno and Trevor leaned against the fence. Panting and exhausted looking.

"That's...the last time...I'm challenging you...to a race." Tierno panted.

"Tierno! Trevor!" Shauna called as she waved her hand to them.

"Shauna!" the boys cried happily in unison. Despite being exhausted, they both jogged over to greet their friends.

"Isn't this quite the reunion?" Calem laughed, "And to think I was only passing by when I spotted Shauna at the cafe."

"I just got here." Natalie said.

"This is great!" Tierno said before he did a quick dance. "We should spend the day together!"

"Yeah!" Shauna agreed, "It's been a while seen we last got together. Plus I know this great place in the woods where we could camp out!"

"It'll be like a little vacation for us and our pokemon too!" Trevor added.

"Sounds like fun!" Natalie said, "My pokemon could definitely use some R&R."

Everyone then looked over to Calem, he didn't look so sure on the idea. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know you guys..." he said.

"C'mon!" Shauna whined, "You never have fun! Just this one time for you and your pokemon!"

Calem looked up at the rest of his friends.

"Please?" they all begged in unison.

Four against one. He sighed in defeat. "Alright." he said.

"YIPIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Shauna cheered.

**X.X**

**Let the fun begin!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Warning! NONCANON STUFF PRESENT!**

**X.X**

CANNON BAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!" Tierno roared as he hugged his legs together and did a cannon ball in the small lake. Both Shauna and Natalie screamed when a large wave crashed over them.

"Tierno!" Natalie laughed.

"Whoops." Tierno said.

The group of friend settled by a small lake only Shauna and her family knew about. The place was only a few miles from the town. Only an hour's walk. The place was beautiful and everyone was having a blast. The pokemon were having fun as well. The Fire Mage was busy chatting with Ariel, since the fire type couldn't swim, while the others took a dip.

"Be careful, Star Dancer!" Moon Dancer called from the shore as she watched her brother attempt to beat Froakie and Tierno's Corphish in a race.

"Don't worry, sis, I'll be fine!" Star Dancer called back. He always had a fascination with the water.

"Is your brother always like this?" Shauna's Skitty asked. Calem's newest pokemon, Clefairy, walked up and stood beside Skitty.

"Yeah." Moon Dancer sighed.

"Boys." Lilith added.

The four female pokemon then burst into laughter. Ocean Aurora was busy hanging out with Espurr. Since the ice dinosaur didn't want to turn the lake frozen solid. Basically it was a great day for all of them.

"Hey! You guys wanna see a _real _cannon ball?" Calem asked.

"Yeah!" Shauna replied.

"Sure." Natalie added.

"Okay." Tierno said. Trevor nodded.

Calem then crawled back to shore and walked a good few feet away. "Here I go!" he yelled before dashing at full speed. Once he reached the edge he jumped and hugged his legs close before crashing into the water. Everyone yelped when water splashed all over them. Luckily Ariel managed to get out of the way in time.

"Calem!" his friends yelled in unison as they recovered from the big splash.

"What?" Calem asked after taking a breath of air. Everyone fell silent when a pair of black swimming trunks suddenly floated by. Natalie and her friends gasped in unison, looking up at Calem for they knew those were his. Calem's eyes widened before he took a deep breath and went under. When he came back to the surface his face was a blazing red. Everyone burst out laughing.

"O-OH MY ARCEUS!" Shauna laughed.

"PUT ON YOUR TRUNKS, WILL YA!?" Trevor laughed as he splashed at Calem.

Calem immediately grabbed his trunks and attempted to put them back on in the water. Once managed to put them back on he turned back to his friends. Who were still laughing. "You! You didn't see anything!" he yelled shakely at all of them. His face still red with embarrassment.

"_Sure_." Natalie replied teasingly. Only to receive a big splash from her neighbor. "Hey!" she yelled, coughing up some water.

"I'm serious!" Calem said before getting splashed himself. Soon the entire thing erupted into one big splash fight that went on until the evening.

...

Natalie and her friends sat around a small fire night. Their pokemon busied themselves by stargazing up at the clear night sky. Natalie found it the perfect time to tell her friends about what she felt earlier in the day.

"It could be nothing." Calem said as he ate his sandwich.

"But is it normal to have the same feelings twice?" Natalie asked with a frown.

"What gave you the feeling?" Tierno asked.

"I don't know. When I first saw the ruins I just had a strange feeling that I've been here before." Natalie then shrugged as she hugged her legs closer. "I don't know..."

"Don't stress about it." Shauna said as she placed her hand on her shoulder, "Concentrate on what's going on now. We're on vacation after all! Remember all the fun we had today?"

Natalie smiled a small smile at her friend. "You're right. Besides, maybe it is nothing." her friends nodded.

"Well." Calem got to his feet and stretched his arms high until he heard a few cracks and pops. "I'm going exploring." he picked up a flashlight, "Anyone wanna come?"

Shauna cringed. "You mean in the forest? At night? No way!" she whimpered.

"I'm with Shauna on this one." Tierno agreed.

"I'll go." Natalie said as she helped herself up.

"Me too!" Trevor added, "This could be a great opportunity to fill out my pokedex!" Calem and Natalie rolled their eyes in unison. Everything to Trevor was the pokedex. Pokedex this. Pokedex that. It was starting to get annoying.

"Well stay close then." Calem said, switching the flashlight on. Natalie and Trevor nodded before they followed the other trainer into the forest.

"Think they're going to be okay?" Tierno whispered to Shauna.

"They'll be fine." the young girl assured him.

Calem, Natalie, and Trevor, all made their way through the forest. Guided only by Calem's flashlight and the light of the crescent moon high above the sky. During their walk they haven't seen a single pokemon. Probably because it was nighttime. Or they were just scared of them.

"It's very quiet." Natalie whispered to Calem.

Calem nodded. "It should be fine though." he said.

"Hey guys? What's that?"

Both trainers stopped and turned to Trevor, who was pointing his finger at something hidden behind the trees. The silhouette wasn't very far. But they couldn't make out what it was.

"What is that?" Natalie asked.

"I don't know." Calem said. He then looked over his shoulder and grinned at his friends, "But let's find out."

"Calem. Wait." Natalie placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him, "What if it's a sleeping pokemon? Wouldn't it be a little dangerous to disturb it?"

"Natalie's right." Trevor said. His voice quivering with nervousness.

"Oh, please." Calem rolled his eyes, "Did Shauna's ghost stories get to you two or something?"

"No!" Natalie said firmly. "I just find it a little ignorant to go out and check whatever this thing is without our pokemon."

"Look. If something happens, feel free to take it all out on me. But nothing will! Trust me on this." Calem held his hand out. Natalie looked down at Calem's hand and then at him. A small smiled appeared on her lips. She may have only known Calem for a month or so, but he is a trustworthy guy.

"Alright." she said, taking his hand. Calem nodded and the two ventured forward.

"H-hey! Wait for me!" Trevor panicked before he frantically ran after them. The trio made their way through the over grown brush until they reached an old, worn out stone path.

"Odd." Calem said. He was clearly surprised to find something like this in the middle of the forest.

"Maybe someone lives here?" Trevor suggested.

Natalie, however, remained silent. She was getting that sense of _deja vu _again. She placed her hand on her forehead as a massive headache started to make itself known. She's never had something like this before. Just what the hell was going on?

"Is something wrong, Natalie?" she heard Calem's voice ask. Concern clear in his voice.

"I'm fine." Natalie replied.

"You don't look fine." Trevor pointed out.

"I'm fine! Really!" Natalie gave them a smile. Hoping it would convince them. The last thing she needed was their concern. Besides, headaches tend to go away anyway.

"Alright, then." Calem breathed, not completely convinced, "Let's see where this road leads too."

"Maybe to the home of a deranged pokemaniac?" Trevor snickered. He recalled a horror story his father once told them while camping that there was a crazed pokemon trainer who would kidnap other trainers and their pokemon before proceeding to cut them up and stuff them. Turning them into lifeless dolls. Of course this wasn't true at all.

"Ha ha." Natalie said sarcastically. Smiling teasingly at him.

The silhouette of what they saw earlier soon grew. Calem raised his flashlight and shined at it. The light revealed the ruins of what was probably a home. Covered in overgrown plant life from the many years of neglect. "Woah." the young man whispered as they got closer. Upon closer inspection, the skeleton of the house appeared to be scorched. Did a fire do this?

Natalie's headache started to get worse. But she chose to ignore the pain. Despite how discomforting it was. The pain increased when they actually entered the house.

"What do you think happened here?" Trevor said as he wandered around what remained of the interior. Picking up fragments of glass plates or cups.

"I don't know." Calem said as he picked up what remained of an antique.

Natalie blindly wandered away from the two. It was like something took control of her body and guided her through the ruined house. She finally arrived at a scorched door. Trembling, she grasped the knob and opened it. The door opened with an eerie creak, revealing a rather small room. What remained of the walls, Natalie could make out the color pink. The floor was nothing but dirt and scorched carpet. The floor was littered with broken or burnt toys. Most of it were plushies. Torn or burned beyond recognition. Nestled in the corner was what remained of a baby crib...

Natalie gulped as she approached the crib. Her headache grew worse and worse with each step she took. But Natalie was determined to press forward. When she finally reached the crib, and grasped it, her headache suddenly went away. She was able to breath calmly. But a sudden bolt of pain struck her and she fell in her knees, grasping her head and accidentally knocking her hat off. The sound of screaming, a baby's cries, the noise of burning wood, all filled her ears. Why did it sound so familiar, though? Why was this happening?

Meanwhile Calem, who was oblivious to what was happening, noticed something out of the corner of his eye. "Huh?" he bent down and picked it up. His eyes then widened and he called Trevor over.

"What is it?" the young boy asked as he crouched down beside him. Calem silently handed him the partially burnt photo. Gazing at his face as he awaited for his reaction. Trevor let out a gasp and nearly fell on his butt. "Shut up." he said, "Shut up! Dose she-?"

"I have to show Natalie." Calem said as he took back the picture. He got up and turned, just in time to see Natalie fall to the floor. "Natalie!" he cried in alarm as he ran over to her side.

"N-kins!"

"C-C-Caaaaaaaaaleeeeeeeem." Natalie drawled. Struggling to talk because of the intense pain. "T-T-Treeeeeeeeeevooooooooor..."

"Try not to say anything!" Calem said as he helped his neighbor up, "We're getting out of here. Come on Trevor."

"Right."

Calem and Trevor helped Natalie over to the door, only to stop dead in their tracks when they saw the knob start to turn. Panicked, the trio quickly ran over to what use to be the kitchen and hit behind the counter. They heard the door open and footsteps enter the home. The sound of creaking wood filled their ears as they did their best to remain absolutely still and silent. There was some rustling before everything went silent. They listened closely as the footprints continued once more until they heard the door close. A wave of relief swept over them as they all got up.

"Look!" Trevor gasped.

Placed in the center of the living room was a single red rose. Looking fresh and new. Calem didn't want to stay and find out why it was there, so they left through the back door. But once they were out of the area, Natalie felt fine.

"Are you okay now?" Calem asked when they stopped for a break.

"Yeah." Natalie panted as she placed her hat back on.

"What happened?" Trevor asked.

"I-I don't know. There was something about that house that hit me. It looked...familiar. Like I've been there before!" her voice quivered. The experience scared her.

"Calm down." Calem said soothingly as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

Natalie started to take slow, deep breaths. Her body eventually began to settle. "What's that in your hand?" she asked when she noticed the picture.

"Huh? Oh! It was something I wanted to show you back in the house." he then gave her the picture.

Natalie could've sworn she felt her heart drop to her stomach. Her breath caught in her throat. The picture was slightly burned, and a bit cut up. But still good. It showed a woman. Late-20s perhaps? She was dressed in a white lab coat similar to Sycamore's. But all buttoned up. Her hands were behind her back. But that wasn't what caught Natalie's attention. The black hair. The dark brown eyes. The pale skin. The facial features.

It was as though Natalie was looking through a mirror...

**X.X**

**Hint: Remember chapter 1? **


	17. Chapter 17

**X.X**

No way." Shauna whispered as she gazed at the picture with wide eyes and a open mouth.

"I couldn't believe it myself when I found it." Calem added as he petted his Espurr, which was curled up on his lap.

"Who do you think it is?" Tierno asked once Shauna handed him the picture. Both Trevor and Calem shrugged. They didn't know what to think. The similarities between Natalie and this woman are so striking and clear! Calem looked over to Natalie, who was sitting silently with her legs close to her chest with Moon Dancer in her arms and her other pokemon curled up around her. They immediately knew something was wrong once they saw the stunned expression on her face.

"What...should we do with it?" Shauna asked.

Calem, remembering what happened to Natalie, took the picture. "I say we destroy it." he said.

"NO!" Natalie gasped, startling everyone around her.

"W-why?" Trevor asked.

"I... I don't really know. But I wanna keep it. Just in case I come across something."

Calem arched his brow. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah." Natalie said as she took the picture and tucked it gently in her pocket. "I'm sure. Besides, it's merely a coincidence that we look alike anyway. Everyone has a doppelganger somewhere in the world."

Everyone laughed quietly. She was right. It's probably a mere coincidence. But... It didn't explain why she acted so strange in the house and around the ruins. Why did she have that feeling of _deja vu _in those areas? She's never felt anything like it before. And hoped that she wouldn't have to face it again. Did the woman in the picture have something to do with it? And why dose she look exactly like her? Natalie didn't want to stress about it too much. She'll get some answers eventually.

...

The following morning everyone got their things, said their goodbyes, and left for their journey once more. Natalie hasn't said much during her walk through Route 11. Except giving her pokemon commands during the couple of battles she had with some trainers along the way. Halfway during the walk, however, something caught her eye.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something glittering under a bush. A sea foam green color with what looked like a small yellow lightning rod in it. Natalie blinked before she knelt down and picked it up. She examined the stone in her hand. "You're a Thunder Stone." she whispered. Thunder Stones were common back in Kanto. They were used to make certain pokemon like Eevee to evolve into an electric type pokemon. Or evolving an electric pokemon into an even stronger electric type. She gripped the stone. This meant should could evolve Lilith into a Raichu. But...

_She's not ready to evolve yet, _Natalie thought_, But I'll hold on to it until I think she's ready._

Natalie unzipped her purse and placed the stone in it. After zipping her purse up she got to her feet and resumed her walk down the beaten path. Eventually, she arrived at a cave entrance. Beside it was an old wooden sign that said: "Reflection Cave". Natalie arched her brow at the name. She's never heard of such a cave. And she was beginning to get the feeling that she would find out once she enters it. And sure enough, she did. She was actually startled when she saw her reflection on the walls of the cave. Perhaps it wasn't really a gig to attract tourist after all.

Natalie approached the glasslike surface and placed her hand on it. It felt cold. And for a split second, Natalie could have sworn she saw the woman instead of herself. She quickly shook her head, pushing the thought away. Taking a deep breath, she made her way through the cave. Fleeing hordes of damn Zubats or fighting trainers who challenged her to a quick battle. Battles she would always win in the end. They were actually pretty worth it in the end. Lilith learned Thunderbolt. Ariel learned Fire Fang. And Fire Mage learned Psyshock. But Natalie was starting to get a little annoyed with the constant hordes of Zubats. Those damn Zubats!

The buzzing of her Holo Cast suddenly caught her attention. She rummaged through her purse a bit until she finally took it out and answered. The familiar holo form of Sycamore appeared in the dim darkness.

"Forgive me for the sudden interruption, but I just came with some good news!" the charming man said over the Holo Cast. Natalie blinked.

"What kind?" she asked.

"There is a man who lives in Shalour City that might know a bit about Mega Evolution."

An excited smiled suddenly appeared on Natalie face as she perked up slightly. "I'm on my way to Shalour City right now! I was going to get my third badge actually."

"Really now! Why not pay him a visit? I'm going to be sending the same message to the others as well. So I'm pretty sure you'll run into one another in the city."

"Sounds good." Natalie said.

"Be sure to tell me how things went. Cheers!" the professor said before the call ended.

Natalie placed her Holo Cast back in her purse and continued on. Mega Evolution! The very name makes it sound even more exciting. Natalie wondered on what Mega Evolution could be like? How dose it effect pokemon in a way? Is it helpful? Oh! So many questions, yet so little answers. A bright light suddenly came into view and the young trainer eagerly walked towards it. A gust of sea air brushed against her face once she finally stepped out. She let out a small gasp when she was greeted by spectacular site.

"_Awwof!_"

"Huh?" Natalie turned just in time to see a streak of blue, yellow, and black running up to her. She stood still as the strange, dog looking pokemon suddenly circled her. Yet for some reason, she felt no fear.

"Wait! Lucario!" A young woman with long lemon yellow hair tied in a ponytail suddenly skated up to her alongside another pokemon. The woman wore a skating helmet along with matching clothing. Her light grey eyes expressed concern once they were face-to-face. "Sorry about that! Are you OK?" she asked worriedly.

Natalie raised her hand up and smiled. "Yes, yes, I'm fine." she replied before looking at the pokemon that was now standing beside her. "Hey, I've seen a pokemon like you before." she said before she brought out her pokedex.

**'Lucario: the Aura Pokemon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By reading the auras of all things, it can tell how others are feeling from over half a mile away.'**

"Wow!" Natalie exclaimed, "I've never heard of a pokemon that could see auras!"

The woman on skates nodded. "Yep! I was doing some special training with my Lucario when all of a sudden he dashed off..." she then turned to the Lucario. "Hey, Lucario! What's going on with you? Did you get drawn by this girl's aura or something?"

The bipedal nodded to his trainer with a smile.

"Huh." she then turned back to Natalie. "Well, it seems Lucario likes you! I guess something in your aura has made this one take a liking to a stranger! This Lucario is always getting worked up in battle with my other one. Maybe he's just waiting for a Trainer to appear who's strong enough to challenge him..." she paused for a bit until she suddenly gasped in realization. "Oops! I was on such a roll, I forgot to even introduce myself! I'm Korrina, the Shalour City Gym Leader."

"I'm Natalie." Natalie replied.

"If you're collecting Gym Badges, then be sure to stop by my gym some time! I'm looking forward to your challenge. I hope you know how to roll with the punches!"

Natalie watched the lemon haired girl skate down a separate path with her Lucarios running by her side. However, the Lucario that had ran off earlier suddenly stopped briefly and gave Natalie one more glance over his shoulder before running after his trainer. Natalie stood where she was for a bit, allowing a gentle breeze to brush against her short black hair.

_Something...in my aura? _Natalie felt a pang of doubt and suspicion. What could be in her aura that would cause that Lucario to take a liking to her? True, she's always been very good with helping pokemon and people. The young woman shook her head and made her way down the cobbled stone path and into the city. The city itself wasn't all that big, nor was it crowded. Which Natalie enjoyed. After checking in the nearest Pokemon Center, Natalie decided to take a break for the day.

_That night..._

Fire Mage woke up with a soft, slightly startled gasp. The sound of whimpers entering his big ears. His fellow pokemon companions were curled up against one another on the bed they were on. Fire Mage lifted his head slowly and looked over at the bed across from them. He was alarmed to discover an anguished expression on his Trainer's face as she slept. Soft whimpers escaped her lips as sweat trickled down her forward. Fire Mage soon found himself in panic mode. He jumped off the bed and ran over to her side. Desperately shaking her.

What's wrong with her? Was she sick? Was she dying? Fire Mage was in the verge of tears as he helplessly did all he could to wake her. Heard a yawn coming from behind him.

"Fire Mage?" Lilith asked tiredly as she raised her head up.

"W-what's wrong with Natalie?" Ariel asked a bit nervously.

"I don't know!" Fire Mage whispered, feeling helpless to do anything. His friends quickly went over and surrounded their human friend.

"Is she...sick?" Ocean Aurora asked, tilting his head slightly. He was still pretty new to humans. Recalling from his past life, he's seen another Amura go through an illness that had something to do with sweating.

"It doesn't look like it." Star Dancer said as he walked up to his trainer with lowered ears.

"What should we do? Should one of us get another human or something?" Moon Dancer asked as she worriedly rubbed her nose against Natalie's hair.

"Dear, Arceus, it's like Darkrai himself is doing this!" Fire Mage added. He desperately wanted to try and wake his friend up. But he couldn't think of a way. He was just a pokemon!

An idea suddenly popped into Lilith's head. "Everybody stand back." she said, getting into an attacking position. Without warning, she unleashed a suddenly bolt of electricity that managed to hit everyone that was in the room.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Natalie cried before she fell off the bed.

"Sorry." Lilith apologized nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. But the attack did the trick. Natalie was now wide awake and pushed herself up.

"Guys?" she asked as she looked at all of them. Her pokemon cried for joy and they all immediately jumped on her. "Okay! Okay!" Natalie laughed as they attacked her with kisses. This was just the thing she needed after the night terror she experienced. But she rather not talk about it. "Sorry I worried you guys." she said as she held Star Dancer in her arms.

Fire Mage crawled a bit closer to his Trainer and licked her cheek soothingly.

"Thanks buddy." Natalie said with a smile.

A few minutes later they all went back to bed. But this time Natalie's pokemon were curled up around her. The rest of the night went on without incident.

**X.X**

**Sorry for the long wait :/**


	18. Chapter 18

**Note: Remember when I said I wouldn't add any pairings? Uhhhhhhhh... I've decided to have Calem have a little crush on Natalie. But Natalie still sees him as a friend. That is all :D **

**X.X**

Time for Lady Korrina's big appearance!" the lemon haired woman announced proudly, "Haha, I'm just messing around with you! I already have a feeling that you're a strong Trainer, so let's get this show on the road!" she then reached into her pocket and threw out a pokeball. "Hawlucha! I choose you!"

A bipedal, colorful red bird suddenly appeared from the pokeball and landed in front of her trainer. Natalie smiled and threw out a pokeball herself. "Go! Lilith!" she cried. Lilith came out of her pokeball and stood in a fighting position.

"Hawlucha! Use Hone Claws!" Korrina yelled.

The bird looking pokemon let out a cry before she struck Lilith with her talon in lightning speed. Lilith let out a cry when she saw struck. The yellow pokemon then got back up and stood on all fours. "Lilith! Use Thunderbolt!" Natalie yelled.

"PikaCHUUUUUUUUUUU!" Lilith cried as she unleashed a powerful blast of electricity on the other pokemon. Hawlucha was immediately K.O.d because of how effective the move was.

"Aw man!" Korrina whined, "You did your best, girl! Return!" she returned her fainted pokemon to her pokeball.

"Way to go, Lilith!" Natalie cried happily.

"Pika! Pika!" Lilith said happily before she was returned to her pokeball.

"Go! Mienfoo!" Korrina then yelled. A small, yellow looking weasel dressed in red suddenly came out of the pokeball and stood in a fighting stance.

"Moon Dancer! Come on it!" Natalie yelled.

"Eevee! Eevee!" Moon Dancer cried once she was out of her pokeball.

"Moon Dancer! Use Swift!" stars shot out of Moon Dancer's mouth and were aimed directly at Mienfoo.

"Mienfoo! See if you could deflect those!" Korrina yelled.

Mienfoo nodded before she used her arms and legs to deflect the stars in alarming speed. Moon Dancer cried out in alarm as she frantically did her best to avoid the stars. "Now use Double-Slap!" Korrina then yelled. Moon Dancer didn't have time to react when she was suddenly grabbed and slapped repeatedly.

"Moon Dancer!" The Eevee did her best to get back on her feet, but in the end she eventually fainted in defeat.

"YES!" Korrina cheered happily before she returned her Mienfoo to her pokeball.

"Aw well." Natalie sighed before she returned Moon Dancer to her pokeball. "You did your best." she said to the pokeball with a smile.

"Not bad!" Korrina called, "But there's still one more to go! Machoke! I choose you!" the pokeball she tossed next opened to reveal a bipedal pokemon.

Natalie took out a pokeball and smiled at it before throwing it in the air. "Go! Ariel!" she cried. The red and white capsule opened and the Charmeleon jumped out.

"Char! Char!" Ariel cried. He then froze when he saw the size of his opponent. He looked back at Natalie, unsure. Natalie gave him a smile, a smile that was enough for him to buck it up and be a pokemon.

"Ariel! Use Fire Blast!" Natalie yelled.

Machoke let out a yelp when a blast of fire suddenly hit him. "Machoke! Use Rock Tomb!" Korrina yelled.

"Oh, no!" Natalie gasped. She knew that a rock type move like Rock Tomb would be enough to weaken Ariel. "Try to dodge it, Ariel!"

The Charmeleon immediately jumped out of the way in time to avoid the falling boulders. "Good! Now use Fury Swipes!" using his sharp claws, Ariel scratched Machoke multiple times until he landed on the ground in a dead faint.

"Machoke is unable to battle! Natalie wins!" the ref announced.

"Woooh! Hooo!" Natalie cheered happily as she ran over to her Charameleon and gave him a tight hug.

"Oh! I have been defeated!" Korrina said as she returned her fainted Machoke to his pokeball. "Alack, alay! Lady Korrina gave a terrible display! This is it. I must give up my title and admit that your strength far exceeds- Just teasing!" the lemon haired gym leader laughed.

Natalie and Ariel looked at one another. Feeling a bit disturbed. The woman then stopped once the ref handed her a small case. "But here's your Badge." she said a bit more seriously once she skated over to the young trainer with it. "Boy, you'll be rolling in 'em soon!" she added.

Natalie thanked Korrina with a smile before she took the badge out of the case and held it in the palm of her hand. Her dark eyes glittering joyfully.

...

"That was seriously an intense battle back there." Korrina said as she skated alongside Natalie, who was walking.

"For a sec I thought you were going to beat me." Natalie chuckled. The two then stopped at the entrance to the majestic tower Natalie had seen when she arrived. "So this is the Tower of Mastery?" she asked as she arched her neck back as far as she could to get a good look at it's height.

"Yep! As a matter of fact, my grandpa knows a lot about Mega Evolution!"

"Wow! Really!?" Natalie asked, clamping her hands together as her eyes glittered with excitement.

"Yep!" Korrina replied as she held her head high proudly. The doors opened with a loud, low groan once the lemon haired woman pushed them open. Natalie was utterly awe-struck by what she saw. The interior of the tower itself was made of stone, and reached as high as the eye could see. Connected to the walls was a very long spiral staircase. Standing in the center of it all was a large statue of what appeared to be a Lucario. Only...that it looked different.

"Ah! Korrina." a warm elderly voice greeted them.

Natalie and Korrina looked over to their left. A grin appeared on Korrina's face once the man had stepped out of the shadows. She suddenly tackled him with a hug, catching him by surprise. "Hiya grandpa!" she said happily.

"Ha ha, it's nice to see you again, Korrina." the elderly man chuckled as he patted her head. He looked up and spotted Natalie, who was still standing where she was. "Oh? And who might this be?" he asked as he approached her.

"I'm Natalie, sir." Natalie introduced herself with a polite bow.

"Natalie, hm?" the man cupped his chin and examined the young trainer. "You remind me of a young girl I had seen many years back. But her name escapes me!" the elderly man sighed.

Natalie was about to ask what he meant when the large doors suddenly opened again. Calem, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor, all entered the tower with awe struck expressions on their face. Natalie grinned happily. "Guys!" she called.

"N-kins!" Shauna squeed happily as she ran over to greet her friend. Followed by Trevor, Tierno, and Calem.

"I can't believe we met up like this!" Trevor laughed.

"You guys got the message too?" Natalie asked.

"Yep." Calem replied with a nod.

"Ah ha!" the elderly man chuckled as he approached the group with his hands behind his back. Korrina skated beside him. "Friends I assume?" he asked.

"Uh huh!" Shauna replied.

"We're here to learn about Mega Evolution!" Tierno added enthusiastically, "We received a message from Professor Sycamore to come here!"

"Ah! Professor Sycamore." the elderly man chuckled. "Well, if that's the case, I just couldn't refuse." the elderly man cleared his throat before he spoke. "Korrina and I come from a long line of trainers who mastered Mega Evolution."

"As a matter of fact! Grandpa and I are the descendants of the trainer who first mastered Mega Evolution!" Korrina added.

The old man chuckled. "Yes, yes, it's true. Any way, Mega Evolution has been around Kalos much longer then you realise. It's only that we are beginning to learn how it works."

"How dose it work?" Shauna asked.

"No one really knows yet. But it requires a certain stone for certain pokemon in order for it to work. If the bond between that trainer and their pokemon is strong enough, then they should be able to Mega Evolve."

"But the thing is," Korrina stepped in, "Mega Evolution only works in battle. As soon as the battle is over, then that pokemon will return to their original state."

Natalie and her friends were amazed to hear this. They've always been told that once a pokemon evolves, they can never turn back into their first from. It's said that some pokemon can stop evolving, but cases like that are rare. Learning about this had certainly caught their attention.

"How dose that even work?" Calem asked.

"Again, no one knows." Korrina replied.

"But," the old man, Gurkinn, said, "We're hoping to learn so. Which is why I've recently invented a device that enables a trainer to insert a stone and Mega-Evolve their pokemon."

"I got one already! See?" Korrina held out her left hand to reveal that in the center of her glove was a Mega-Stone.

"Ooooooooh." everyone said in unison.

"Is that the stone you were talking about?" Tierno asked.

"Mm hm. That's called a Mega-Stone. As grandpa already said, it's used to Mega-Evolve certain pokemon. This one's a Lucarionite. This is what allows me to Mega-Evolve one of my Lucarios."

"Cool!" Shauna said happily, "Can you show us? Pleeeeeeeeease?" she asked in an almost begging voice.

Korrina chuckled. "Sure!" the lemon haired woman replied. She then reached into her pocket and brought out a pokeball that held one of her Lucarios. She pressed the center of it and allowed her pokemon to come out. "Alright, Lucario! Let's show these people what Mega Evolution's about!" Korrina then swiftly pressed two fingers on the stone. She raised her hand high and a bright light luminated from both of them. In a split second the Lucario sudden changed before their eyes. It resembled the statue that was in the center.

"Woah!" Trevor said.

"That's amazing!" Shauna said excitedly.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life!" Calem whispered.

"See? That's the power of Mega Evolution right there." Korrina said happily.

Her grandfather nodded. "Yes. Mega Evolution is a mysterious and amazing thing. Mega Ring is the device that will allow trainers to Mega-Evolve their pokemon. However," he then added in a serious tone, "I've only made one. And I've come to trust that one of you trainers will be able to use it wisely."

"Uhhhhh..." Shauna rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "I don't think I can handle that much power. I can't even defeat Tierno in battle!"

"The Mega Ring sounds neat!" Tierno said, "But I'm hoping to create a great dance team with my pokemon someday. So I'm gonna step out of this one."

"I don't think I'm ready for it." Trevor said, "Maybe when I finish completing my pokedex someday."

"So that leaves you two."

Calem and Natalie looked at each other. Competition glittering in their eyes. No one said a word for a minute until Calem finally spoke. "I would really like to have the Mega Ring. But I'm pretty sure you're going to want it too." he said. Natalie smiled and nodded. "Then how about we settle this with a battle?" Calem asked with a smile.

"Sure." Natalie replied.

...

Calem and Natalie stood on the beach outside of the Tower of Mastery in battle stances. Shauna, Trevor, Tierno, Korrina, and Gurkinn watched at a safe distance. A breeze brushed against the two Trainers' hair as they stared at one another. Waiting for one of them to make the first move. Calem went first.

"Meowstic! I choose you!" he yelled, throwing his pokeball out. The blue and white pokemon made a cry before he landed in front of his Trainer.

"Woah!" Shauna said, "Espurr must've evolved!" Shauna then brought out her pink pokedex.

**'Meowstic: the Constraint Pokemon, and the evolved form of Espurr. The eyeball patterns on the interior of its ears emit psychic energy. It keeps the patterns tightly covered because that power is too immense.'**

"Go! Fire Mage!" Natalie cried. Fire Mage made it's cry before he landed in front of his Trainer. "You're move, Calem!" Natalie called.

Calem nodded. "Meowstic! Use Light Screen!" Meowstic's eyes suddenly glowed a pinkish color and a screen of light appeared in front of him before it disintegrated in to sparkles.

"Fire Mage! Use Fire Blast!" Natalie yelled. Fire Mage nodded before he swiftly removed his twig from his tail and shot a blast of fire at the Meowstic. Miraculously, Meowstic managed to pull through.

Calem smirked competitively. "Use Disarming Voice!" he roared. Meowstic's eyes glowed again. He then opened his mouth widely and a sonic boom was unleashed. Fire Mage let out a cry of pain as he frantically covered his ears.

"Fire Mage! Hang in there!" Natalie cried.

"Disarming Voice is a Fairy Type move, right?" Tierno asked as he watched.

"Mm hm." Korrina replied, "There's still little known about Fairy Types, though."

"Fire Mage! Use Psyshock!" Natalie yelled.

Fire Mage brought out his twig and, using what psychic energy he had, struck the Meowstic with sharp rocks. Normally psychic type moves won't effect Meowstic, but in this case it did. The cat like pokemon fell on the sand. Fainted.

"Good work, Fire Mage!" Natalie said happily before she returned her partner to his pokeball.

Calem returned his pokemon to his pokeball and smiled at it. "Not bad, neighbor!" he called, "But this battle isn't over yet. Go! Frogadier!" he threw his pokeball in the air and a bipedal blue frog emerged.

"Looks like Froakie evolved." Natalie said with a smiled. She swiftly brought out another pokeball and threw it in the air. "Go! Lilith!" she cried. Lilith emerged from her pokeball and stood in a battle position.

"Frogadier! Use Water Pulse!" Calem called. Frogadier let out a cry before a pulse of water emerged from his mouth. It hit Lilith, but it wasn't effective. However... Lilith felt a strange feeling in her head. She could've sworn she was seeing mini Torchics walking around her head in a endless loop.

"Crap!" Shauna cried, "Lilith's confused!"

Natalie heard this and growled softly to herself. "Lilith! Try to concentrate and use Thundershock on Frogadier!" Natalie yelled. Lilith heard Natalie's voice and did her best to keep her aim on the blue frog. However, the first few strikes were missed.

"Use Quick Attack!" Calem yelled.

"Pika!" Lilith cried when she was hit hard. However, it snapped her out of confusion and she was able to concentrate again. "Use Thunderbolt!" Natalie yelled. Lilith unleashed a bolt of electricity upon Frogadier, and it easily K.O.d him.

"Damn." Shauna said. She noticed the looks the others were giving her and she smiled nervously. "Sorry." she said.

Natalie praised Lilith before returning her to her pokeball. Calem did the same and brought out his last pokemon. "Go! Absol!" he yelled. A white four-legged pokemon with a blue face emerged from his pokeball.

"Go! Ocean Aurora!" Natalie cried. She threw her pokeball and icy blue dinosaur emerged. "Ocean Aurora! Use Hidden Power!" The dinosaur's eyes and sails suddenly glowed. Ocean Aurora threw his head up and let out a roar as rocks suddenly appeared and flung at Absol.

"Absol! Dodge!" Calem cried. The pokemon obeyed his Trainer and quickly jumped out of the way. "Use Slash!" Calem yelled. Absol let out a bark before he struck Ocean Aurora with his sickle like horn. Ocean Aurora skidded back and managed to stop before he hit the ocean water.

"Use Ice Bean!" Natalie cried. Ocean Aurora's sails glowed a blue color as beam of ice shot directly from his mouth. Unfortunately for Absol, he wouldn't be fast enough to dodge the attack. Absol collapsed on the sand. Fainted. "We did it!" Natalie cheered happily as she picked up Ocean Aurora and hugged him tightly.

"I guess I need to train more." Calem sighed after he returned his pokemon. But in the end, he managed to put up a smile for Natalie.

"Congratulations, Natalie!" Shauna said as she and the others ran over to the two.

"That was quite a show you both put out there." Gurkinn remarked fondly. He then brought out a box and opened it. Inside the box was a black bracelet with a empty spot in front. "I believe you've earned this."

"Thank you." Natalie said before she reached in and removed the Mega Ring, slipping it on her left wrist.

"It actually looks good on you!" Korrina giggled.

"It kinda dose actually." Natalie chuckled.

"You did really good on our battle." Calem said, "Congratulations."

Natalie smiled. "Thanks."

Calem smiled back.

Meanwhile in the distance, the silhouette of a figure stood and watched. But they weren't looking at the entire group. They were looking at Natalie.

**X.X**

**There's a reason why I didn't add certain things. I didn't want to be a killjoy XD. But who is this figure however...?**


	19. Chapter 19

**X.X**

A small pebble was kicked across the dirt road by the white riding boot that past by. The sun shined down on Natalie as she casually walked down Route 12. The landscape was nothing but trees and green hills, with wooden fences here and there. The area would've had a country feel if it hadn't been for the saltiness of seawater in the air.

But Natalie didn't mind it at all. She loved the country side. The country reminded her of Pallet Town. How she would see the Ponytas, or Rapidashs, or Tauros grazing on the pastures every day as she walked to school. Route 12 was beginning to give her sweet memories. The sound of rumbles in the distance suddenly caught her attention. She looked over to the horizon and saw large, dark clouds rapidly coming. A storm was brewing, and it was too late to go back. Natalie started to walk faster, hoping she would catch sight of a house she could stay in. Natalie thanked Arceus in above when she spotted an arched sign.

_"Baa de Mer Ranch"_

Natalie didn't waste when she started knocking on the door. The door unlocked and opened with a creak. A rather large man with lightly tan skin stood at the doorway. He was dressed in dark blue overalls and was wearing a straw hat. Sticking out of his mouth was a grain of wheat. His eyes were large, but also had a friendly feel to them.

"I'm so sorry to intrude like this." Natalie said, "But is it okay that I stay here for a while. There's a storm coming."

"I heard on the news." the man replied. "Feel free to come in. You're not the first Trainer to take shelter here." he stepped aside to allow Natalie to enter. And not a moment too soon. "Looks like it's gonna be a rough one today." he chuckled as the heavy rain drops pounded against the window. He then turned to Natalie. "I'm Greg Dodgemen by the way."

"Natalie Dane." Natalie replied.

Greg made a small gasp. "Are the daughter of John and Grace Dane?" he asked. "I've been to all their races! Boy, were they the best."

"They sure were." Natalie chuckled.

"Daddy? Who are you talking too?" a young voice asked. Natalie and Greg looked over to the doorway that led to the kitchen. Peeking out was the head of a little girl with twin golden braids and flashy green eyes.

"This is Natalie, Sally." Greg replied to his young daughter, "She's going to take shelter here during the storm.

"Again, I can't thank you enough for allowing me to stay here." Natalie said.

"Again, you're not the first." Greg said with a laugh.

...

The storm passed by rather quickly. Once it was gone it left behind a sea of green. Dewdrops dripping from the leaves and grass that covered the land. Natalie decided to stay for a bit and help out around the ranch. During the storm she learned that Greg practically raised his Skidoos to allow tourist to explore the countryside. Natalie and Sally went out to the stables to let them out.

"What was it like after your daddy passed away?" Sally asked Natalie as they groomed one of the Skidoos.

"A little hard." Natalie admitted. She could recall her mother struggling with her job and often heard her crying to herself at night when she came home. It was dark times for Natalie and her mother. Dark times.

"Daddy told me that my mommy died in a accident at the city." Sally said. "Is it bad if I can't remember her much? I was really little when she died."

"No." Natalie said, shaking her head. "As long as you remember that you had a mother, I'm sure everything's alright."

"Wow, Natalie. You're really nice." Sally giggled.

"Skidoo!" a pokemon cried. The head of a smaller Skidoo suddenly poked in. But what caught Natalie was the fact that this Skidoo is a different color. And was...glittering!

"Skiddy!" Sally said happily as she opened the stable door wider and gave the young pokemon a hug around the neck. "Skiddy's very special. She's a shiny pokemon!" Sally said to Natalie. Natalie nearly fell from her stool.

"A shiny pokemon!?" she gasped. Shinys were very rare. She's heard about them; but she never thought that she would see one up close. The chances of one encountering a shiny pokemon in their lifetime was one in a million. Natalie now considered herself lucky to have seen one.

"Yep! Skiddy hatched out of an egg two months ago! Skiddy's my favorite and I don't allow anyone to ride her but me!" she added proudly and a bit protectively.

"I can understand that." Natalie chuckled.

"Hey! Have you ever ridden a Skidoo?"

Natalie shook her head. "I've ridden Ryhorns, though. But I can probably guess that Skidoos are a lot different." she added.

"Not really." Sally said, "But they're really fast! Come on! I'll show you!"

Natalie followed the young girl and her Skidoo out into the pasture where the other Skidoos were. Sally then put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Just as she did, a Skidoo quickly hopped over. Sally then turned to Natalie and smiled. "Just hop on it's back and I'll show you the rest." she said

Natalie felt a bit hesitant. But then again she loved trying new things. Besides, how different could it be from riding a Ryhorn anyway? Natalie approached the Skidoo and hopped on its back. Sally hopped on Skiddy's back and held onto his horns.

"Now you just grab the horns and push them forward! But try not to push them so hard. Watch." Sally gently pushed the horns of her Skidoo forward and the pokemon immediately hopped away. "Now you try!" Sally called.

Natalie blinked before mimicking what Sally had showed her. She let out a surprised cry when the pokemon suddenly started hoping at a speed that could out match any Ryhorn! Natalie gripped the horns tightly as she slowly adjusted to the constant bucking coming from the pokemon as he ran. Sally suddenly came up beside her with Skiddy.

"You're getting the hang of it!" she said with a grin.

"Thanks." Natalie replied, "But how do I get him to turn?"

"Easy. Just move his horns in the direction you want to go in. Watch." the young girl gently turned Skiddy's head to the left, causing the Skidoo to go left. "Just like that!" Sally called, "Now you try!"

Natalie nodded and gently turned the Skidoo's head left as well. The Skidoo obeyed and turned to the left. Natalie let out a laugh of joy while she heard Sally cheer in the background. Natalie was suddenly taken by surprise when the Skidoo suddenly jumped over a small ledge. Natalie nearly lost her grip on the horns, but didn't fall off. The Skidoo stopped once it landed.

"Natalie!" Sally cried as she rid Skiddy over. She immediately stopped beside her and jumped off. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah." Natalie replied, "Just a little shaken, though."

"I'm sorry. I probably should've told you that there was a ledge up ahead..." Sally said, bowing apologetically.

"No, no." Natalie said, jumping off the Skidoo and kneeling in front of Sally; placing her hand on her shoulder. "There's no need to apologize. I just should've paid more attention to where I was going." Natalie chuckled.

Sally giggled.

However. The two girls were unaware of the pair of binoculars that were watching them from the woods not far from where they were.

"Ma'm! You're not going to believe what I found!" the flame haired grunt said to the woman standing behind him. Beside her was another woman dressed in white and with red hair and shades similar to the Grunts.

The woman approached the grunt. One gloved hand placed in her hip as she did so. The woman herself wore nothing but a red top, shorts, gloves, and boots. Even a red belt that had the Team Flare insignia in the middle. Her hair was a short and a green color while her eyes were hidden behind a green visor that matched the color of her hair. She added green lipstick to her lips before handing her tube to the admin beside her.

"What?" Bryony asked boredly. Her voice a bit monotone.

The grunt grinned at her and handed her the pair of red binoculars. Bryony snatched the binoculars from the Grunt's hand before lifting up her visor and peeking through it as well. "_Oh my_." she crooned, returning the binoculars and lowering her visor, "Is that a shiny I see?"

"Yes, Ma'm." the Grunt grinned, "But there's a slight problem."

Bryony arched a slim brow. "Hm? And what would that be?" she asked, folding both arms above her chest a bit impatiently.

"That damn trainer is there."

"The one who's been giving us problems these past few days?"

"Yeah."

A smile appeared on Bryony's green lips and she chuckled. "Like we're going to let a mere child get in our way. The reason why she is such a problem to you guys is because you don't know how to battle right!"

The grunt flinched. "I...uh..." he stammered.

"A shiny like that is going to cost a fortune in the market. Everyone! We're getting that Skidoo tonight!" Bryony announced.

_That night..._

The night was rather quiet for Natalie. Greg had invited her to stay for dinner and for the night for helping around the ranch. Natalie happily accepted and was now currently sleeping in the same room as Sally. And since she was with someone, she decided not to let her pokemon out. In the stables all the Skidoos were curled on their beds of hay and slept the night away peacefully. Dreaming of running through the plains without a care in the world. Skiddy had her own little stable near the house. Just outside of Sally's bedroom window.

Team Flare Grunts silently made their way across the pasture as silently as they could. A few jumping in surprise after hearing a sudden hoot from a nearby Hoothoot. They reached Skiddy's stable with grins on their faces. They slowly unlocked the stable door without awakening the sleeping pokemon. And then, in a spilt second, the scooped the small pokemon up from her bed and kept her in a sack. Skiddy let out an alarmed cry before the sack was closed tightly. The small goat panicked, thrashing around in the sack and crying out for her trainer.

"Got her!" one of the Grunts said after they tied the opening shut to prevent her from escaping.

"Now let's get out of here before the whole ranch wakes up!" the other grunt hissed.

Too late.

The sensor light from the house suddenly flashed on, blinding the men briefly and surprising them. The front screen door opened and Greg, Natalie, and Sally, all came rushing out. "What in Arceus's name are you doing here!?" Greg asked angrily.

Sally ran over to Skiddy's pen and screamed in terror. "Skiddy's gone!" she wailed, tears rushing down her face.

Natalie noticed the moving sack on the ground beside a grunt who had fallen when the sensor light came on. "Just where do you think you're going with that sack!?" she growled furiously.

"Aw, crap!" one of the grunts cried, "It's her!"

"You're the bitch who ruined our plans back in Route 10!" the male admin growled dangerously, his red shades flashing.

"GIVE BACK SKIDDY YOU BULLIES!" Sally screamed. The Admin and the Grunts merely laughed in amusement.

"Sorry kid, but we've got plans for your little Skidoo here." one of the Grunts sneered. Without warning, one of the grunts threw out their pokeball and a Houndour emerged.

"You're not stopping us this time, kid!" the Grunt yelled at Natalie, "Houndour! Use Smokescreen!"

The black let out a bark before spitting out a black ball of smoke. The black smoke blinded Natalie and the others. Once the smoke cleared the Team Flare Grunts and Admin was gone. Along with the sack.

"SKIDDY!" Sally cried before she fell on her knees. Greg knelt down beside his sobbing daughter and attempted to comfort her, but came to no avail. She only continued to cry louder and deny that she would never see her pokemon again.

Natalie watched the two. Rage towards Team Flare burning in her like a fire from Moltres. A fierce glint suddenly appeared in her dark eyes and she turned to Sally and Greg with one of her hands clenched into a fist. "Don't worry. I'll get Skiddy back." she said firmly.

"What?" Greg asked in disbelief. Sally looked up at Natalie, eyes still watery and cheeks wet. But she managed to put up a smile on her face.

"R-really?" she asked.

Natalie smiled determinedly at the young girl. "I've delt with these fashion freaks before. So you can count on it!"

**X.X**

**Will Natalie get Skiddy back? Tune in next time! And sorry for the late chapter. High School's a prick.**


	20. Chapter 20

**X.X**

Natalie cursed silently to herself once she lost sight of the tracks. She gripped her flashlight tightly, gritting her teeth in frustration as a cool midnight breeze brushed against her exposed arms. She had gone in too far to give up. She told Sally that she would get Skiddy back from those Grunts. And idea suddenly popped into Natalie's head and she reached into her long pj pants pocket and brought out a pokeball. She threw the ball in the air and Fire Mage came out.

"Fire Mage, can you help me? Team Flare has kidnapped a little girl's Skidoo and we need to get her back. Is there a way you could try to pick them up?"

Fire Mage nodded and closed his eyes. Bowing his head slowly and raising his ears as high as he could in hopes of catching any kind of noise that could lead them to the Grunts. His left ear twitched slightly and he snapped his head up, pointing in the left direction.

"Is that where they are?" Natalie asked the Braixen. She trusted her partner, but she needed to be sure.

Fire Mage nodded his yellow head and gave his trainer an assuring smile. Natalie smiled back. "Lead the way then." she said.

...

Skiddy pressed herself to the back of the cage. Trying her best to hide from the creepy gazes the Grunts were giving her outside of her cage.

"My, my." Bryony said as she approached the cage with one hand on her hip. "Aren't you quite the sight? You're certainly going to be worth a lot on the market. The Master will be pleased." she purred to herself. Skiddy whimpered in fear.

"Let her go you fashion freaks!"

"Huh?" everyone said in unison. The Grunts then gasped in fear when they saw both Natalie and Fire Mage standing near the fire they had set up. Both looking rather angry.

"Hm?" Bryony casually turned around and saw Natalie herself. A smile quirked itself up on her lips and she chuckled. "_This _is the child you Grunts were telling me about? Ha! Look at her! She's in our camp dressed in only her pjs!"

Natalie then perked up, an embarrassed look on her face. She was in a bit of a hurry to rescue Skiddy. So she only put on her riding boots and took her pokemon. "W-well... Uh..." she said nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. Fire Mage lowered his ears and sighed.

"Save it." Bryony said as she handed her lipstick tube over to the female Admin beside her, "Just what do you think you're doing here anyways, kid? Trying to play hero again?"

_Arceus damn it! Why the hell do they always call me a kid!? _Natalie thought bitterly. "First of all, I'm not a kid! I'm sixteen! And second of all, I'm here to take Skiddy!" she yelled.

"What?" Bryony asked.

"Skiiiii!" Skiddy cried happily from her cage, her eyes shining.

Bryony threw her head back and laughed. "Really, now? Like a puny little girl such as yourself can defeat all of us? Especially a Team Flare Scientist such as myself." Bryony said smoothly.

"Scientist?" Natalie asked, "Just who the hell are you freaks!?"

"I am Bryony!" Bryony said, standing in a flashy pose, "And I am a fellow scientist of Team Flare; who's goal is to create a more beautiful world!"

"'Beautiful world'?" Natalie repeated.

Bryony nodded. "Yes. And we won't let little troublemakers like you get in our way! Now why don't you do us a favor and screw off with you're pokemon, hm?"

Natalie blinked. "Not a chance. And by the way, what's with your hair and outfit? It's a disgrace to the fashion world."

Bryony and the Team Flare members gasped in horror. The green haired scientist angrily clenched her gloved hands into fists and started to tremble angrily. "HOW DARE YOU!" she roared. Without warning, she swiftly reached into her back pocket and threw out her pokeball. The capsule opened to reveal a majestic yellow and purple cat.

Fire Mage wasted no time getting ready to battle his new opponent. The female cat gazed at him with a pair of sinister green eyes as her tail swooshed lazily side to side.

"Liepard! Use slash!" Bryony yelled.

Fire Mage didn't have time to react when he was suddenly struck in the face by a pair of sharp claws. "Fire Mage! Use Fire Blast!" Natalie cried. Fire Mage swiftly brought out his twig, igniting it before firing at Liepard.

"Liepard! Dodge!" The cat swiftly dodged each attack before striking Fire Mage again. "Now use Assurance!" Bryony cried happily.

Fire Mage let out a cry when he was slapped across the face by Liepard's paw, causing him to fly across the clearing until he hit a tree. "Fire Mage!" Natalie cried. Fire Mage weakly pushed himself back on his feet before standing in a fighting position with his twig pointed directly at Liepard. He wasn't going down so very easily.

"Oh? Looks like we have a little fighter here." Bryony remarked. "No matter. Liepard, finish this runt off." the scientist said nonchalantly.

Liepard let out a cry before he struck Fire Mage with a powerful blow in the face, causing Fire Mage to accidentally release his twig. Natalie and Fire Mage when the twig snapped in two on the ground. This isn't good. Natalie knew she needed to return Fire Mage to his pokeball before things get worse. As if reading her mind, Fire Mage barked sharply at Natalie. He wasn't going to let this Liepard defeat him.

"Fire Mage..."

Fire Mage gave his trainer a firm nod before he turned back to his cunning opponent, who was swaying her tail side to side casually.

"Liepard! Use Assurance one more time!" Byrony cried happily. Feeling the sense of victory coming close. Liepard charged Fire Mage at full speed, eyes glowing.

Fire Mage, surprisingly, just stood where he was. The yellow fox calmly closed his eyes and lowered his head. He could sense his Trainer's heart race with fear and concern. He could sense the wickedness coming from the Liepard charging at him... He could sense _everything_.

Natalie gasped when a white light suddenly enveloped Fire Mage. The light itself actually blinded Liepard and caused her to miss. Natalie watched her Braixen suddenly grow in size. Growling much taller with bigger ears, and a slightly shorter snout. His body and arms gave off the appearance as though he was wearing some kind of dress or cloak. When the light was reduced to glitter, Fire Mage's new form was revealed. Natalie blindly brought out her pokedex; which she brought along as well.

**'Delphox: the Fox Pokemon. Using psychic power, it generates a fiery vortex of 5,400 degree Fahrenheit, incinerating foes swept into this whirl of flame.'**

One of the Flare Grunts suddenly perked up when he heard this. "Did it say 'incinerating'?" he asked a bit nervously. Bryony growled in frustration, clenching her hand into a fist. "It doesn't matter! Liepard! Destory Delphox!" she roared.

A sly smile appeared on Fire Mage's muzzle. He swiftly reached into the "sleeve" of his wrist and brought out a new twig. This one looking a bit firmer then the other one. With the swoosh of his hand, a blase of fire emerged from the twig and burned Liepard.

_That's Mystical Fire! _Natalie thought in awe. How she knew the name of the move she may never know. But this move certainly packed a punch on Liepard. The cat fell in a dead faint in front of Bryony, who gasped in horror. "Fire Mage!" Natalie cried happily before happily jumping into her pokemon's arms. Fire Mage happily hugged back, rubbing his snout in Natalie's silky black hair.

Byrony returned Liepard to her pokeball before glaring at Natalie. "Take the damn Skidoo! But this isn't over!" she hissed dangerously. Without warning, one of the grunts suddenly threw a ball to the ground that burst into a blinding light upon impact. Fire Mage immediately shielded Natalie until the flash was over. But when they looked back, the Team Flare members were gone.

"Baaa! Baaa!" Skiddy cried from her cage.

"Skiddy!" Natalie gasped. She rushed over to the cage, grabbing the bars and attempting to yank them open. But to no avail. "It needs a key!" Natalie said frustratingly.

Fire Mage brought out his "wand" and focused all of his psychic energy on the cage. There was a split second where the cage was suddenly lit up in a purplish pink aura before the door unlocked and swung open. Skiddy happily hopped out and circled Natalie and Fire Mage in joy. Natalie laughed before she looked over to her partner and smiled.

"Thanks, Fire Mage. If it weren't for you, we would've lost Skiddy."

Fire Mage smiled and nodded at his trainer.

...

"SKIDDY!" Sally squealed in joy as she jumped off the fence she was sitting on and ran over to embrace her pokemon. Skiddy cried happily before hopping over to her Trainer. Natalie and Fire Mage watched the reunion between Trainer and Pokemon with a smile on their face. Greg ran over as well, practically in tears as he hugged his daughter and the pokemon. He then looked up at both Natalie and Fire Mage.

"Thank you." he whispered.

Natalie nodded. However, she couldn't help but look up to her right and at the full moon. She wondered what Bryony had meant by "Create a more beautiful world". Fire Mage could easily tell that something was troubling his Trainer, and that she was currently in deep thought. He could understand how she felt. He had sense great darkness in the psych of that Liepard he fought.

Kalos was in danger. He just knew it...

**X.X**

**Ending for this chap was a little rushed... **


	21. Chapter 21

**X.X**

You take care of yourself now." Nurse Joy said after she returned Natalie her pokeballs.

"I will." Natalie said as she placed them back in her purse, "Thanks."

Natalie had just arrived at Coumarine City after getting a ride from Greg. He figured it was the least he could do since she rescued his daughter's pokemon. Despite Natalie telling him he didn't need to do so.

"Natalie?"

Natalie turned around and smiled when she saw Calem just entering the Pokemon Center. "Calem." she said, "What a surprise."

"Are you here for the Plant Badge too?" he asked, leaning against the counter slightly.

"You bet." Natalie giggled.

Calem quirked up a smile. "Figures." he said, "I already got mine. It took me a while but it shouldn't be a problem for you and your pokemon. This gym leader is a grass type specialist, so Fire Mage and Ariel should have no problem whatsoever."

"Thanks." Natalie said, "By the way! Fire Mage evolved last night!"

"Seriously!?" Calem said in surprise.

Natalie then explained the events that had occurred back at the ranch. Once she was done Calem shook his head. His hand clenched into a fist and trembling in anger. "Those bastard." he growled, "Trying to steal pokemon just to make a damn profit."

"There's something else too," Natalie added, "They said something about creating a more 'Beautiful World'."

"I'm not too worried about that." Calem shrugged it off, "By the way, I would really like to see Fire Mage in battle!"

Natalie arched her brow and smirked at Calem before crossing her arms. "A battle?" she asked, "If you wanted a battle you could've just said so."

...

"Absol! I choose you!" Calem yelled, throwing the pokeball in the air. The white pokemon let out a cry before landing in front of his trainer. Natalie called out Fire Mage when she threw her pokeball in the air as well. Calem marveled at the bipedal pokemon once he got a good look.

"Wow! I'm impressed." he admitted, "But let's how strong you are! Absol! Use Quick Attack!"

Absol suddenly ran in an alarming speed that as soon as Fire Mage blinked, he was hit. The fox merely skidded back a bit, but didn't look all that effected by the simple attack.

"Fire Mage! Use Flamethrower!" Natalie yelled.

The fox swiftly brought out his 'wand' from his 'sleeve' and a blaze of fire emerged from the tip. Striking the other pokemon and causing it to catch a burn.

"Quick! Absol! Eat this!" Calem yelled, throwing a berry at his pokemon. Absol managed to jump into the air and devour the berry in one gulp. As soon as he did so, the burn was gone.

"What was that?" Natalie asked.

Calem smiled at Natalie competitively. "That, neighbor, was a Rawst Berry. Rawst Berries help heal pokemon when they're burned. There are also other berries out there that can heal other stats. problems as well. I'm surprised you didn't even know this."

Natalie frowned at Calem and crossed her arms. "Hey! I don't hear a lot about berries back in Kanto!" she yelled defensively.

Calem shrugged. "Whatever. Let's get back to the battle! Absol, use bite!"

Fire Mage let out a pain filled cry once he felt the sharp teeth dig into his right wrist. _That's right! _Natalie reminded herself, _Bite is a Dark type move. And Fire Mage is a Fire and Psychic type pokemon. Everyone knows Dark types are affective against Psychics_, "Fire Mage! Try to shake him off!"

Fire Mage roughly shook his arm until the white pokemon released his grip and fell on the ground. "Now use Mystic Fire!" Fire Mage brought out his wand once more and, in a blast of flames, struck Absol. Absol let out a howl before falling in a dead faint. Natalie cheered, praising Fire Mage for his hard work before returning him to his pokeball.

"Wow! You and Fire Mage are really close!" Calem remarked as he put Absol's pokeball away and then replacing it with another. "Meowstic! I choose you!" he cried.

"Star Dancer! Go!" Natalie cried. Star Dancer let out a cry before landing in the battlefield.

"Meowstic! Use Psybeam!" Calem yelled. The cat's eyes glowed and his ears shot up before a beam of psychic energy left him.

"Dodge, Star Dancer!" Natalie yelled.

The male Eevee immediately jumped out of the way. "Now use Bite!"

"MEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" Meowstic cried when he felt sharp teeth dig into him. The blue cat scrambled around the battlefield with Star Dancer still clinging onto his left ear. Meowstic managed to spin around and send Star Dancer flying. The Eevee hit a nearby tree before falling. "Use Disarming Voice!" Calem roared.

Star Dancer immediately flattened his ears once he was struck by the sonic boom. "Use swift!" Natalie yelled. Star Dancer shot stars from his mouth and managed to directly hit Meowstic. Meowstic, still weak from the earlier attack, finally fainted.

"Good job, Star!" Natalie said happily as she scooped up her Eevee and hugged him tightly.

Calem smiled at his Meowstic before returning him to his pokeball. "You did your best." he whispered to the pokeball before putting it away. Natalie returned Star Dancer to his pokeball and brought out Lilith's.

"I guess I know what this means." Calem sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't say that." Natalie said, "Who knows? You might beat her this time."

"You better not go easy on me."

"Of course not!" Natalie giggled.

Calem rolled his eyes fondly before throwing out Frogadier. Natalie threw out Lilith. "I'll let you make the first move." Natalie said.

Calem managed to put up a small smile. He knew Natalie was trying to be fair, but this was a battle. If Natalie had the advantage then she had the advantage. "Water Pulse!" Calem yelled. A sudden pulse of water escaped Frogadier and struck Lilith head on. Once again, Lilith started to see little Torchics walk around her head.

"Aw, crap!" Natalie yelled. She should've seen this coming.

"Now use Quick Attack!"

"PIKA!" Lilith cried when she was struck.

"Use Thundershock!" Natalie cried.

Lilith, still confused, managed to muster up enough electricity before releasing it from her cheeks. Out of the many bolts that escaped, only one managed to hit Frogadier.

"Use Water Gun!"

Lilith was then hit by a sudden blast of water from the frog like pokemon. But the attack itself was able to snap Lilith out of her confusion. The Pikachu glared at Frogadier, sparks appearing from her cheeks. Without any command from Natalie, Lilith unleashed a bolt of electricity so powerful, that it couldn't be Thunderbolt! But the move managed to K.O. Frogadier.

"What the hell was that!?" Natalie gasped, surprised by what her Pikachu just did.

"I...think Lilith learned Thunder!" Calem, who was also shocked, replied.

Lilith looked at her Trainer, seemingly surprised herself. And then looked over to Calem and Frogadier before giving them an apologetic look. Calem returned his Frogadier before walking up and kneeling in front if Lilith. "It's okay, Lilith." Calem said kindly as he patted her head.

"Cha!"Lilith said happily.

"That was some fight you put out there, Sprout."

Natalie, Calem, and Lilith turned to the direction they heard the elderly voice from and saw a slightly hunched back man dressed in matching green clothes and a white beard walk up to them.

"Ah! Ramos. Natalie, this is the Coumarine Gym Leader." Calem said.

"Really? Well it's an honor to meet you then." Natalie said to the old man, bowing slightly.

Ramos nodded. "You're wanting to challenge me in my Gym I assume?" he then asked.

Natalie nodded. "Yes sir. And I'm Natalie, by the way. And this is Lilith!" she gestured to the Pikachu she held in her arms.

"Pika! Pika!"

"Mm. You're very close to your Pokemon, Sprout. That's very good to see in youths like you and your friend here." the man then turned to leave. Before walking away he quickly looked over his shoulder and said, "I'm a little busy today. But feel free to stop by my Gym tomorrow. I do look forward to our battle, Stroup."

As soon as he disappeared among the crowd of people, Natalie turned to Calem. "Dose he always call people Stroup?" she asked.

"I guess." Calem sighed, "But let's head over to the Pokemon Center and heal up our pokemon."

"Right."

...

Lilith curiously sniffed the Thunder Stone Natalie held out in her hand before looking up at her. Natalie smiled back at her. "Since you learned Thunder I figured it was time that you evolved. But I'm not forcing you if you don't want to." Lilith looked over at her friends unsuringly.

"Go ahead!" Calem's Meowstic whispered encouragingly.

"You won't feel a thing. It'll be like it never happened." Fire Mage added.

Lilith smiled at her friends before standing tall and proud with her head held high. What was she thinking? resisting a chance like this. The chance to evolve into a stronger pokemon. Lilith smiled at her Trainer before plucking the Thunder Stone from her hand and held it in both paws.

_Huh?_

Lilith soon found her engulfed in a white light. Natalie, Calem, and their pokemon all watched the evolution closely as Lilith changed form. She grew a bit bigger and her tail was elongated. Once the light was reduced to sparkles Lilith was no longer yellow. Instead she had become a darker shade of orange. Her ears were no longer straight, but slightly curved. Her paws and feet were a somewhat light brown color. And her cheeks were yellow.

Calem brought out his pokedex and quickly scanned Lilith.

**'Raichu: the Mouse Pokemon, and the evolved form of Pikachu. It can loose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size.' **

"How do you feel?" Moon Dancer asked.

"Uhhh. I feel...different." Lilith replied as she looked at her paws and feet. She then looked up at everyone and grinned. "I LOVE IT!" she announced happily.

Natalie and Calem laughed. Even if they couldn't understand what she was saying, it was quite obvious that she's very happy with what happened. "I guess it's a good thing I waited for the right moment." Natalie said with a smile as she returned her pokemon to their pokeballs.

Calem nodded and returned his pokemon to their pokeballs as well.

_'Breaking News!' _a reporter boomed over the television speakers, catching everyone's attention. _'Just moments ago: The Poketch Company, located in Jubilife City of the Sinnoh Region, has been bombed!'_

Gasps were heard among the Trainers that were present in the lobby of the Pokemon Center. Soon followed by murmurs of disbelief and sorrow. Natalie's fingers hovered above her mouth in horror as she looked over to Calem, who was also horrified.

"_Bombed_?" Natalie whispered to herself.

Calem clenched his hands into fists angrily and his jaw tightened as his eyes burned with rage. "Who could have done this?" he whispered hotly.

_'The identity of the bombers has not been discovered as of yet. But thankfully, no fatalities have been reported.'_

A wave of relief swept over everyone. Some clamping their hands above their heart as it slowly returned to normal speed. Both Natalie and Calem sighed in relief upon hearing this. But they were still left with the questions as to what had done it, and why? The television screen suddenly switched over from the reporter to the head of the Sinnoh Special Police Force. The woman was dressed in full uniform and standing behind a podium with multiple officers standing behind her.

_'As of now the Sinnoh Special Police Force is currently investigating the attack. We will be working with the International Police to track and hunt down the people who had done this horrible thing. Please, I advise any witnesses to step forward and give out any formation that could help us in this dire hour. We will not rest until the bombers are captured and brought to justice!" _the woman threw her fist in the air once she said that, followed by multiple camera flashes and cheers from the crowd. The screen then switched back to the reporter.

_'If you have any information regarding this report, please contact the number below.'_

The news ended. Everyone continued to stare at the television screen with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"Who do you think done it?" one trainer asked.

"Could it be Team Galactic?" one suggested.

"Doubt it. Team Galactic disbanded after Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum defeated their leader from doing something stupid." a trainer replied.

"Yeah, but there are still his commanders."

"Charon was arrested, and two of the commanders turned themselves in."

"Then that leaves Saturn..."

Both Natalie and Calem walked out of Pokemon Center. Still a little shaken by the news. "That was something." Calem said.

"Mm hm. I just hope whoever did it doesn't do it again." Natalie said, "But at least no one was killed."

"Yep. Well, I'm gonna get going. It was great seeing you again." Calem said, giving her a small smile.

Natalie smiled back. "Same here." she replied.

**X.X**

**:D**

**Thought I should add a little twist...**


	22. Chapter 22

**NOTE: I'll probably be shortening Gym Battles. But I'll try to make the chapter longer.**

**X.X**

Lilith! Go!" Natalie cried, throwing her pokeball in the air. The Raichu let out a cry once she was out of her pokeball. They had just entered the Coumarine City Gym and was now currently going up against Ramos, the man they had met yesterday. The elder had already thrown out his first pokemon: Jumpluff.

"Grass Knot!" Ramos called to his pokemon; although it sounded a little shakey.

"Dodge!" Lilith immediately jumped out of the way. "Now use Thunderbolt!" Natalie added. Lilith unleashed a blast of electricity from her cheeks and shocked the hovering pokemon. Jumpluff was part grass and flying. This made the pokemon very unique, considering that grass type pokemon are known to be weak against flying type pokemon. The attack did some effective damage, but not enough to K.O. Jumpluff.

"Use Leech Seed!" Ramos yelled. The blue pokemon suddenly shot a seed directly in front of Lilith's feet. The Raichu looked down at the ground confusingly before crying out in pain.

"Lilith!" Natalie cried as she watched her pokemon suddenly fall on one knee.

"Ha! Ha! Leech Seed is very handy during times like this! It absorbs the health from the opponent and restores health to the Pokemon who preformed the move!"

"Great." Natalie sighed. "Lilith! Use Thunderbolt!"

Lilith unleashed a stronger blast of electricity from her cheeks and struck Jumpluff with it. The blue pokemon let out a surprised squeak before falling to the ground. Natalie cheered happily before returning Lilith to her pokeball. Ramos then released his second pokemon of choice: Weepinbell. Natalie brought Fire Mage next. It didn't take long for Fire Mage to defeat the other pokemon.

"You're on a role, Sprout!" Ramos remarked as he brought out his last pokemon, "But let's see if you can defeat an old friend of mine! Gogoat, go!" A large goat like pokemon emerged from the capsule; causing some dirt particles to fly once he landed.

"Go Ariel!"

Ariel let out a roar once he was released from the capsule, but jumped back in shock when he saw how big his opponent was compared to his own size. "Don't worry, Ariel." he heard his Trainer's friendly voice tell him from behind, "You can do this." Ariel smiled nervously at Natalie before looking back at Gogoat.

"Bulldoze! Go!" Ramos roared. The green goat suddenly charged at Ariel in full speed before ramming him hard with his horns and sending him flying across the gym.

"Ariel!"

The red lizard, slightly dazed, pushed himself back on his feet and stood in a fighting pose.

"Use Flamethrower!" Natalie yelled.

Gogoat let out a cry when the blast of fire hit him. "Bulldoze, one more time!"

"CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" Ariel screamed as he was rammed once more. Natalie winced slightly. Despite beging a fire type, Bulldoze was a ground type move. This gave Ramos the upper hand.

"Huh?" Natalie noticed the flame on Ariel's tail suddenly grow larger. Gogoat took a few steps back, surprised by what was going on. The flame grew large and larger until it fully engulfed Ariel in it's blaze. The blaze vanished and what replaced Ariel was a large orange Dragon. Ariel let out a bellowing roar and outstretched his wings, shooting out fire from his jaws.

_Charizard! _Natalie was both shocked and excited. She had only seen a Charizard once, and that was Red's before he left for his journey out of Kanto. She had always dreamed of having one because she wanted to be like Red.

Gogoat shivered a bit in fear from the massive pokemon before him. A small smirk appeared on Ariel's jaws before he suddenly jumped up high. Natalie recognized the move from some of the trainers she had battled.

"Ariel! Use Fly!"

Ariel let out a roar before he flew down and plucked Gogoat from the ground. Both Trainers watched as the Charizard toss the other pokemon to the ground, defeating him instantly.

"Gogoat is unable to battle! Ariel wins!" the ref yelled.

Natalie screamed in joy. "WE DID IT!" she cried, running towards her Charizard and wrapping her arms around his neck in a bear hug. Ariel let out a happy cry before he hugged his Trainer back. Natalie gagged a bit; hearing a few of her bones crack slightly.

"Yeh believe in yer Pokemon..." Ramos said softly as he approached Natalie and Ariel with a small case in his hand, "And they believed in yeh, too... Mighty oaks from acorns grow. Go on, then. Yeh've earned it." he opened the case to reveal a green badge in the shape of a leaf, glistening under the light that shone from the ceiling. "Here's yer own Plant Badge, Sprout."

Natalie took the badge from the case and held it in her hand gently. Smiling.

...

"Hmm..." Natalie held a Black Ruffled Tank Top in one hand and a Purple Scarf Top in the other. She was already a new pair of shoes: Black Zipped Boots, and she now had Black Metal Star Pins on her hat. She turned to Lilith and Moon Dancer, since they were the only girl pokemon she had. "What do you think?"

"Vee! Vee!" Moon Dancer yipped excitedly, looking at the Purple Scarf Top.

"Rai! Rai!" Lilith cried in agreement.

Natalie smiled and winked at her pokemon. "My thoughts exactly."

...

Natalie stepped into the heat of Route 13; dressed in her new clothing. Although she still kept her black skinny jeans, felt hat, socks, and purse. Although she was a bit surprised to find herself in a desert. She walked down the faded path under the baking sun. Natalie raised her wrist up slightly to shield her eyes from the particles of sand that were picked up in the wind. She wasn't use to this kind of environment, considering that Kanto doesn't have any sort of desert.

As time went on, when really it was only half an hour, Natalie failed to notice any sign of life. It was as though the entire area had been wiped out of it. It sent chills down her spine at the thought of it. She started to calm when she spotted some movement in the ground beside her. She looked to her right and stopped a moment. She spotted a lot of buildings in the distance. Steam coming off from the ground and sparks seen here and there.

_That must be the Power Plant, _Natalie thought. She vaguely remembered a Power Plant back in Kanto. Only that that Plant had been abandoned for a long time. Rumor had it that the Legendary Pokemon Zapdos dwelled there! It was the late afternoon hours when Natalie had reached Lumiose City once more. Although it surprised her a bit. But then again she was glad to be reunited with civilization. She went to the nearest Pokemon Center and checked in for the night.

_That evening..._

Natalie enjoyed the cool breeze that brushed against her cheek as she sat on the grass in the park of Lumiose. Beside her, her pokemon relaxed in the shade. She figured it would be a good time for all of them to get some R&R. Fire Mage was sitting beside his partner as they gazed at Prism Tower in it's full glowing glory. The sky was a tainted flaming orange, mixed with dark blue.

"That's where we're going to fight next." Natalie whispered, not taking her eyes off the building as she hugged her legs closer to her chest.

A small smile appeared on Fire Mage's muzzle and he nodded.

"But for now," Natalie turned to her partner and smiled back, "Let's take a small break." Fire Mage blinked slightly in confusion before smiling again. Natalie giggled before the two looked back at the tower in unison.

...

Star Dancer's left ear twitched slightly, waking him up from his brief nap. He tiredly lifted his head up and noticed a small leaf on his nose. Instinct kicked in and he suddenly developed an urge to chase the leaf. He got his wish when the wind picked up again and took the leaf with it. Without notifying the others, he got up and took off after the leaf. However, he soon lost sight of the leaf and was now wandering throughout the park. Alone and scared. He then stopped when he heard footsteps approaching him.

...

"Star?" Natalie said after she returned her last pokemon to their pokeball. "Star!" she called out this time. Panick started to grow in her. Star Dancer was still a young Eevee. And quite adventurous when it came to water. Fear suddenly struck her at the thought of her dear pokemon getting lost somewhere in the city and ending up in a place they shouldn't be in. "Star!" she called as she ran through the park. "Star Dancer! Come out, Star! Please!" Natalie was in the brink of tears. She lifted her head up and spotted a man sitting on one of the benches with something in his arm. She immediately ran over. As she got closer she managed to identify what that something was. "Star Dancer!"

The Eevee had his eyes closed and a smile on his face as the man holding him continued to pet him in between his long, pointy ears. He opened his eyes when he heard his name and perked up happily when he saw Natalie running towards them.

"Is he your's?" the man who held him asked once she was in front of them.

"Yeah..." Natalie panted. She then blinked and tilted her head slightly in recognition. The flaming orange hair... The leather jacket... "Lysandre!"

**X.X**

**Tehehehehehe. What's gonna happen next?**


	23. Chapter 23

**WARNING: Mentioned death.**

**X.X**

I can't thank you enough for finding my Star Dancer." Natalie said to the robust man.

Lysandre gave Natalie, who was now sitting beside him, a nod. "He's a good Pokemon." he said, "It would be a shame if something were to happen to such a well-cared Pokemon."

Natalie curled her fingers above her thigh slightly as she stared into the man's deep blue orbs. Those eyes told a story, or that's what Natalie thought. "My Pokemon are practically my life. If something were to happen to them I don't know what I'd do." she then looked down at her lap and whispered, "I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself."

Lysandre looked at her for a bit before looking up at the Prism Tower silently. "Tell me, what is Kanto like?" he asked.

"What?" Natalie asked. She didn't, quite, hear what he said.

"I said, what is Kanto like?" Lysandre repeated. His voice was calm and held all the patience in the world.

"Oh. Well, it's very nice there." Natalie replied, looking up at Prism Tower and smiling as the memories of her life back in Kanto came flooding back to her. "Mostly farm land and fishing spots. But I loved it there. Whenever my parents went for a race, they would bring me along. I use to love watching them race against the other Racers. It was a great time..." her voice then started to soften and trail off. "But then the accident happened..."

"What happened?" Lysandre asked softly.

Normally Natalie would refuse to talk about what happened in the accident. She had witnessed the entire thing in person, and the images were still engraved in her mind. But for some reason, as if on autopilot, everything came pouring out. "It started out like any other race." she said as she looked at her lap, "I was in the stands with my mom watching the entire race. Everything started out normal. Dad and Ryhorn were in the lead, like always." she chuckled softly when she said that. "But then...something went horribly wrong. When dad was making a turn...Ryhorn slipped..."

Natalie instinctively wrapped her arms around herself as the memories of that horrible day played back in her young mind. Like a never-ending horror movie. "Dad...lost his grip...he...fell off... They both...crashed against the fence... Ryhorn... He..." a choke sobbed escape Natalie and she buried her face in her hands. "It was an accident! They did all they could, but... Dad..." Natalie soon found herself crying quietly. Her hands getting wet from the endless tears that came pouring out of her eyes. "I'm sorry..." she sniffed once she was done.

Lysandre nodded and patted her shoulder gently. "It's alright." he said gently, "There is no shame in crying. It's a good way to wash away the pain one keeps bottled up inside. Don't let any say otherwise."

Natalie sniffed and smiled a small smile up at the older man. No one's ever said that to her before. And Lysandre had a good point. She felt a heavy weight lift off her shoulders now that she spoke about the accident. The crying helped too. Once Natalie felt herself calm down, and took a few breaths, she looked up at Lysandre. "How long have you been living in Kalos?" she asked.

"I've lived in Kalos all my life." Lysandre replied, "Tell me, what do you know of Kalos's history?"

Natalie tapped her chin in thought. She remembered Shauna mentioning something about a great war, and that her descendents fought in it. "All I know is that there was a war." she replied.

"Mm." Lysandre nodded. "Yes. The Great War of Kalos was one of the bloodiest wars to have happened in this region's history." Lysandre then closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly. "The lives of so many innocent Pokemon lost..." he whispered.

A look of sympathy and sadness appeared on Natalie's face. It wasn't unnatural for man to use pokemon during warfare, but Natalie found thid extremely cruel and wrong.

"Pokemon weren't put on this Earth for warfare. They are beautiful creatures who deserve to live a life without such violence and in a world free of war." Lysandre opened his eyes and looked dead straight at Natalie. "The King of Kalos had a younger brother. I am his descendant."

Natalie nearly jumped from the bench. "What!?" she cried. First of all, she didn't know Kalos had a king. Second of all, she didn't know said king had a younger brother. Let alone descendents. Hearing Lysandre tell her this was both sudden and surprising. "Then that makes you royalty, doesn't it?" she then asked.

Lysandre chuckled. "I wouldn't say that." he chuckled, "The king's reign ended after the war. That being said, that story is 3,000 years old, so it might not be entirely reliable." he then turned to look up at the stars. "People can be divided into two groups. Those who give... And those who take... It's just as how the Kalos Region's two Legendary Pokemon gave life and took life."

Natalie cocked her head curiously. "Gave life and...took life?" she repeated. Lysandre nodded and continued.

"I want to be the kind of person who gives... But in this world, some foolish humans exist who would show their strength by taking what isn't theirs." Lysandre's blue eyes then turned fierce and he clenched his hand into a fist. "They're filth!" he hissed. He then started to calm down and his body relaxed. "Long, long ago, the king of Kalos sought to take everything for his own, and he created a terrible weapon. Then the fire of destruction was unleashed... That is the legend that has been passed down."

Natalie turned her full attention to Lysandre as he spoke. What he was saying had sparked her interest to know more of Kalos's history. She always did like history after all. And she found it quite fascinating and honorable to meet the descendant of someone with royal blood. But the thought of a weapon that powerful having been used so long ago had sent chills down her spine. Lysandre then shot his head up and smiled.

"Kalos is beautiful right now!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with pride, "There will be no foolish actions if the number of people and Pokemon did not increase. That being said, the future isn't decided. You can't be sure each day will be like the one before. What the king of Kalos did was reprehensible, but... The ultimate weapon did manage to wash the world clean of that era's filth." Lysandre then stood up and turned to Natalie, who was still sitting. "Thank you for listening." he said, "Normally I'm not one to judge, but you're a good person, Natalie; seeing how well you've raised your Eevee. Perhaps if there were more people like you, this world would be a far more better place."

Natalie blushed slightly. No one's ever said _that _to her. People would often call her a good person. Professor Oak had always called her an Angel because of how willing she is to help others and how nice she was. Lysandre then placed something on her lap.

"Take that as an apology for me taking up your time."

"No, no." Natalie said quickly, "I'm glad you told me this. I got to learn more about this beautiful region thanks to you."

Lysandre blinked. Looking a bit surprised. He quickly returned to his cool attitude and nodded. "I bid you _adieu_, young Natalie. May our paths cross again." he then turned and walked away.

Natalie still sat on the bench. Watching the robust man leave before looking down at her lap to see what he had given her. She let out a soft gasp when she realized it was a Water Stone. She cradled the blue stone in her hands and smiled. She could use this to evolve Star Dancer into a Vaporeon! But she wouldn't do it now, though. A pang of guilt suddenly hit her, though. She never got to thank Lysandre for the gift.

_Later that night..._

Natalie shot up from bed in a cool sweat. The sheets and blanket already soaked in it. The images from her nightmare still played back in her mind.

War.

Bloodshed.

Death.

The cries of a dying Pokemon in battle.

Then the machine wiping out all life...

Natalie hugged her legs close to her chest and hid her face behind them. The story Lysandre had told her was still fresh in her mind. Never had something affected her so strongly other then her father's death. She felt something warm and wet rolled down her cheeks. Was she crying again? That's twice she's cried! She looked over to the bed across from her's and could see the concerned eyes of her Pokemon looking back. Natalie sighed softly. She had woken them up again. Ariel and Fire Mage had to be kept in their pokeballs because of how big they were. But they understood.

Natalie got out of bed and walked over to the other bed. Her pokemon made room for her to sit before cuddling up beside her. "Sorry you guys." Natalie said quietly as she hugged them closely. For the rest of the night she stayed on the same bed with her Pokemon. But it didn't stop the second night terror from making itself known...

...

Sycamore let out a quiet groan when he heard the faint vibrating of his Holo Cast against his night stand. Turning on his lamp, he answered.

"Do you know what _time _it is?" Sycamore yawned.

The holo form of Lysandre crossed his arms in a serious, and authoritative manner. _"We need to have a talk tomorrow. In private."_

**X.X**

**Sorry about the short chapter, but oh dear. And before anyone says, there will NOT be any Kingsrockshipping (Lysandre/Serena) in this fic. **


End file.
